If the Beach Boys invented the “California Sound”, then almost monday has reimagined it. Their new album DIVE has not only highlighted the pop trio’s capability in creating new surf rock, but also in imitating distinctive music genres from throughout the decades. Besides having a variety of musical elements for listeners to pick through, almost monday also released a unique and entertaining music video for each song on the album, which adds to their overall vibe of authenticity, creativity, and retro influences. In order to fully explore this musical homage to the summertime, let’s dive right in.
- “dive”
dive starts the album off in a unique way. Most of the album reflects a Beach Boys style, while dive emulates a much more retro style. It uses muted vocals and instrumentation to achieve a style similar to Frank Sinatra or Paul Anka. There are also some feminine background vocals, which helps add depth to an otherwise pretty simple song. Personally, I think this song perfectly encapsulates the cover art, and sets the stage for the rest of the album as a fun, whimsical, retro ode to California rock.
- “is it too late?”
This song begins with a strong electric guitar riff, which then fades into the backtrack. However, more rock-centered riffs are still featured throughout “is it too late?”, which helps the song feel more modern than the other songs in this album, which are built around a Beach Boys-esque song structure. The background vocalization by Cole Clisby and Luke Fabry is more prominent in this piece, and it adds some variety to the vocals. If “dive” paid homage to the ballads of the 1950s, then “is it too late?” is the peppy younger brother of 90s surf punk.
- “never enough”
Once again, the punk guitar chords and fast fingerwork of almost monday hooks listeners right from the beginning of the song. The catchy electricity of “never enough” manages to capture the artists’ angst of not acknowledging their appreciation for a loved one, but in a way that motivates you to get out and do what they wish they could. This song is a sundrenched day catching waves, and it reminds listeners to get out and appreciate the best things in life. This song focuses more on instrumentation and has multiple breaks from vocals throughout to highlight the technicality of it all, which creates a lot of audible interest.
- “you look so good”
I personally think of this song as the embodiment of the iconography of Hollywood. Think of the Hollywood sign, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and all of the glitzy glam that comes with it. This song is loud, in your face, and something about it is distinctly ear-catching. The instrumentation is really strong in this piece, and I love the change of pace in the middle of the song to highlight the chorus. “tidal wave” may be a lazy day on the beach, but “you look so good” is a strut across the silver screen.
- “she likes sports”
This song is one of my personal favorites from the album. I love the clever wordplay, which incorporates sports terms but uses them to describe the singer’s romantic relationship. “She’s got game, she serves you an ace” is just one of the many witty lines throughout the song, which addresses the sad fate of one being played by a lover, but does so in a clever, catchy way. In the same way that the mysterious tennis player being mentioned is irresistible, so is this song. It’s upbeat, funky, and honestly does a great job of introducing a novice on the music scene to that groovy California indie pop.
- “can’t slow down” (fun video)
“can’t slow down” is such a fun song. It doesn’t make a ton of sense, but that’s what creates so much interest. The guitar chords are warped in a way to make them a bit more high pitched, which creates a great contrast against the smooth bass. The music video for this song is so random, but that’s why I love it. It has everything you would never expect, from a giant paper-mache egg to a fight between Dawson and someone in an eagle costume to the pop trio driving around in a comically small red car. Yet somehow, it works and that’s what makes it one of my favorite almost monday songs. It shows of all of the quirks and uniqueness of almost monday’s music in an unexpected yet entertaining way, making you want to join in and start dancing.
- “jupiter”
Just like “can’t slow down”, I find the music video for this one really fun and kind of nonsensical. Lead singer Dawson Daugherty gets launched onto Jupiter after jumping on a trampoline, where he is suddenly joined by the rest of the pop trio and proceeds to perform “jupiter”. I appreciate how the retro aesthetic is not only present throughout the music, but it is also represented in the music videos through older clothing styles and grainy film quality. This adds a cool, distinctive feel to the album throughout all the media types involved. “jupiter” is pretty chill and has subtle disco elements, which helps build up the groovy, “out of this world” vibe introduced by the title of the song. almost monday shows throughout the album that their music isn’t just limited to those of bouncy surf pop, but also conquers the dreamy melodies of the 50s (as they did in “dive”) and the synth-waves of the 80s, as shown in “jupiter”.
- “tidal wave”
Whether almost monday intended it or not, I interpreted “tidal wave” as their way of expressing their love of surfing. Simultaneously, the song also explores the euphoria one gets from starting a new relationship, where it almost feels like you’re “on a tidal wave, we can float away”. This piece is whimsical, chill, and has that distinctive Cali-rock twang. Tapping your foot to this song is almost inevitable, and while it is upbeat it is also somehow calming to listen to. The guitar is laid back in this song, but comes into play more during the chorus. “tidal wave” also highlights Dawson’s somewhat raspy voice, which is offset by whistling throughout the song.
- “sunburn”
“sunburn” takes elements from “tidal wave” – twangy guitar, whistling, and a laid back vibe – and plays on them even more. This song is laying out on the beach and falling asleep in a hammock under palm fronds. While it isn’t as upbeat as The Beach Boys’ “Fun, Fun, Fun”, the guitar work is similar and that adds a cool, retro feel to the piece, which almost monday is able to seamlessly deliver again and again. The slower pace may seem somewhat boring compared to the peppier songs on the track, but it works perfectly in perpetuating the lyrics and the painfulness of getting over an ex.
- “seaside market”
The instrumentation in “seaside market” is unique in the sense that it includes some sort of horn (probably a trumpet), which adds a lot of substance to the song. It is worked in with the guitar so it doesn’t dominate the song. I love how the vocals, trumpet, guitar, and drum build up towards the end of the song, where it ends in a declaration of love. Throughout the piece, Dawson croons “la, la, la”, which works to offset the harshness of the trumpet and overall creates a sound distinctive from any other piece on the album.
- “life goes by”
There’s something about this song and I can’t quite name it, but it is so genuine. When I hear “life goes by”, I can almost see Dawson, Clisby, and Fabry writing and playing this song in someone’s garage. The message this song puts off is so important and really part of what almost monday tries to encapsulate with their music – don’t sit around and let life pass you by, go out and surf, sing, dance, or whatever it is you want to do! The vocals and instrumentation sound almost a bit grainy, as if you’re listening to a recording from an old camcorder. When I think of that distinctive Californian genre of music, I think of this song – twangy guitar riffs, lyrics about the beach, and a bold beat you can’t stop listening to.
My Top Eleven:
- “can’t slow down”
- “jupiter”
- “sunburn”
- “she likes sports”
- “you look so good”
- “seaside market”
- “tidal wave”
- “dive”
- “is it too late?”
- “life goes by”
- “never enough”
