Album Review: DIVE by Almost Monday
As the weather starts to get cooler, people are holding onto the last remaining bits of summer, no matter how fleeting they may be. Before the leaves start dropping and our weekends are taken up by pumpkins and apple orchards, Almost Monday dropped their debut album “DIVE” Wednesday, giving a proper sendoff to summer vacation.
The group consisting of Dawson Daugherty, Cole Clisby and Luke Fabry has been releasing music since 2019, infecting the music scene with their touches of California pop and sunshine-like hits. A mix of alternative, surf-rock and disco-pop, the trio crosses genres while holding an aura of summer through catchy beats and bouncy lyrics. The 11-song album shows the range of the band, but could easily fit among their previous singles and two EPs “don’t say you’re ordinary” and “til the end of time.”
The album starts with the title-track, which sounds dissonant and holds a tinge of ’50s and ’60s choruses, hoping the listener will meet up with the singer and “hoping it’s not just a dream.” It’s about as mellow as the album gets before pulling a 180 and throwing the listeners into the sunshine-filled waters as guitar beats echo on “is it too late?”
Summer is just beginning as “never enough” has a light guitar rift with bright pops of a keyboard to couple with appreciative lyrics about the new love the band has found. Instead of the general descriptors like beautiful or gorgeous, the band settles on describing the new love as being “like a Sunday morning” and being “sun kissed” with “red lips, always on my mind.”
Adoration continues as the band takes a step into bossa-nova territory for “you look so good.” With the sound of the swinging ’60s, the chorus comprised of hand-claps encourages call-and-response in hopes the relationship will last and it’s not just a facade. The listeners get a little more of the mystery girl’s personality in “She likes sports,” a peppy burst of energy full of sports puns. While the girl is “stacking up points in the fantasy” of Almost Monday, she seemingly can’t be tamed as “she’ll love you then leave you/with just a kiss on the face.”
Taking a break from the beach bops, Almost Monday keeps the party going by swapping surf rock for full-on pop. “can’t slow down” begs to be listened to while speeding along the West Coastline in a convertible. Sounding like a speedway, the track’s bassline and drums stand out as the band can’t keep up with a girl who’s always on the move, hungry for more. “jupiter” is the standout record on the album, a glittery, cosmic fusion of ’80s new-wave synths and disco-funk. Lyrics of “not getting enough” and “rendezvous on Jupiter” carry the feeling of new love onto the dance floor.
After the intergalactic high, listeners are brought back to reality with a catchy, breezy tune called “tidal wave.” Describing the perfect summer day in the early stages of a relationship, the indie-surf vibes are brought back. All good things must come to an end as “life goes by” closes out the album. Almost completely guitar, it has the same vibes as sitting around a campfire at the end of a long day. The band reminds listeners “the days go by/and the clock is ticking” before suggesting jumping into the waves at the beach.
“DIVE” is beachy perfection, the summer everyone dreams of having. Almost Monday manages to blend the nostalgic surf music of the mid-20th century with modern pop touches, creating a wonderland where it’s never raining, the perfect temperature and the days seemingly have no end. With a little taste of music for everyone, there’s only one way the listener can immerse themselves in the dream: by diving right in.
Photo Caption: Almost Monday dropped their debut album “DIVE” Wednesday, giving a proper sendoff to the season of summer. (Courtesy of Apple Music)
Write to Emma Johnson at emma.johnson.5@mnsu.edu