Pop-trio almost monday has recently released their debut, summery album “DIVE.” This album encompasses everything you’d want from a perfect summer: surfing, nostalgia and sun-kissed tans. “DIVE” throws you right back into a blazing July on the beach.
Almost monday, made up of members Dawson Daugherty, Cole Clisby and Luke Fabry, is based in San Diego, Calif. The group released its first single “Broken People” in 2019, later in 2020 they released their first EP “Don’t Say You’re Ordinary.”
Their sound consists of a mix of alternative, surf-rock and disco-pop, crossing genres but still holding onto their sunny, catchy beats no matter what style they decide to channel.
This album begins with the title track “dive.” This dissonant, ‘50s jazz-swing style song is a completely different sound from the rest of the album. The singer draws you into a trance, longing for a perfect place “where the summers don’t stop.” While completely divergent from the rest of the tracklist, this sets up “DIVE” as a dream. A fantasy album, representing a flawless, movie-like summer only seen in Hollywood films.
That dream-like, cinematic trance is quickly diminished by the fast-paced indie love song “is it too late?”. The guitar riffs and catchy chorus throws you for a loop into a dancy, fun atmosphere.
The next song “never enough” features bright pops of a keyboard along with symbolic appreciative lyrics of love. The singer describes love as “like a Sunday morning” with “sun kissed, red lips” on top of addicting drum beats that make you wanna dance.
The band steps into new territory with “you look so good,” a rockier, swinging-60s beat with great lyrical symbolism. The pre-chorus hooks you in with its snappy lyrics saying “well, part of me don’t wanna rock the boat” and asking “is it possible that you’re just blowing smoke?”.
This new tune is done well, but the chorus does feel somewhat lacking for me. It sounds mocking, almost as if they are poking fun at themselves. I feel the same with the lyrics of “tidal wave.”.The lyric “nice to meet ya, she’s a barista” sounds corny to me, along with some others in the song.
One of the star singles on the album is “sunburn,” which was released over two years ago. This song adds a cool, retro vibe to the overall album. The opening lyric instantly transports you to taking a nap on the beach under a palm tree.
This fantasy is quickly transformed with a more electronic, space-esque pop vibe in “can’t slow down” and “jupiter.” On these songs, almost monday shows off their own unique identity in the pop world. No, they’re not just a copy of Wallows or Dayglow. They can explore across genres.
These two songs are the standouts on the album in my opinion. They remind me of a late night cruise dance party, getting all the free soft serve ice cream you can until ultimately your vacation comes to an end.
In the next tracks “seaside” and “life goes by” the summer slows down with more easy, flowy sounding tunes. While I was not impressed with these releases, they are a perfect goodbye to a lively, unforgettable summer. “Seaside market” does have an interesting twist with the inclusion of a trumpet in the backing track. Again, the band shows they can pull from a variety of diverse styles.
Almost monday delivers an authentic, California summer in the 28-minute runtime of “DIVE.” Anytime you miss the sweet, summer heat on your skin, you can turn on “DIVE” and be whisked away into the midsummer of your dreams.
Luckily, almost monday will be kicking off their North American tour this December starting in Detroit, Mich. Snag tickets soon!
