Dearist – “Sonder” (Spartan Records)
If Wolverhampton, UK act Dearist opened for Thursday
during their Full Collapse tour back
in 2001, chances are they would have immediately become your favorite band,
especially if they were performing songs off their latest album Sonder. Hell, I would have loved to have
heard these tunes live when I saw Thursday opening for Sick of It All back in
2001.
Sonder is raw
and enigmatic; bursting at the seams with big sound and even bigger emotions. The
album bleeds a frail vulnerability (“Fool’s Heart”) in one moment and vibrantly
pulsates with churning guitars, quickened tempos and crashing cymbals the next
(“Beaches”). Expect a cornucopia of sound on album highlight “Drowning,” from
hazy leads and fuzzed out vocals to expansive hooks. “Demuto” is one of Sonder’s most powerful entries, with the
band shouting ‘this changes everything’ over and over again with the same
passion they shout ‘sink or swim’ in the following “Essex 1820.” “Part of You”
brings booming guitars, leading into “Half Light,” easily the heaviest, most
exacerbating track on Sonder. It’s
truly explosive, building crescendos that crash into blistering guitars and
agitating vocals.
Sonder doesn’t
tire or fade down the stretch; it’s not a long record by any means, a testament
to the strength of this collection of tracks. On the contrary, Sonder almost seems as if it gains
strength throughout its latter stages, something that really cannot be said for
many records. You can take all of those afore mentioned descriptive words and
adjectives and use them to describe “Shame” and album closer “Colours,” two of
the album’s final three tracks and two of its most well-rounded outings.
This album has mass appeal – fans of alt-rock, early emo,
rock and the like should flock to Sonder.
One thing is for sure, if you do give Sonder
a spin (and you definitely should), you will not leave disappointed.
Go Download: “Demuto”
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