Dallas, TX The Deathray Davies have graced us with their presence this rocky start to 2021 with their latest hopefully hit album Time Well Wasted! Beginning strong with the welcoming if not slightly disorienting “Tapping On the X-Ray” with sounds like you’re almost having your body, well at least your ears scanned before a Rockin guitar and punky charming drums, when Dufilho says “back to you and me again” with the ever deliberate enunciation of the words, you feel like he’s singing right to you.
He follows it up with “but you don’t care” hopefully he doesn’t mean it about the band, because with an opener filled with this much charming personality how could it grab your full attention by the collar of your shirt. It moves onto the poppy without sounding like pop music “Oh Stars” where the band finds their inner strength “I’m not slowing down, I’ve been winding up” and they mean that literally as the song doesn’t exactly escalate into a cacophony of noises but is executed with laser-focused precision that you know they’re feeling super confident in their abilities after this fifteen-year hiatus.
It’s crazy to think that much time has passed because while it doesn’t feel like it was made in the last decade it’s got this vibe of feeling like it’s always existed, like when you talk to a friend and go “you know what’s a really underrated album?” If you can’t tell, I’m super happy these guys are back on the scene.
Listen to lead single, “Oh Stars” below.
Bouncing around we’ve got “False Alarm” about feeling like you’ve got to be someone’s anchor so you both can survive and thrive. This one is a little slower pace than the more energetic tracks, but it’s a nice little romantic breather. “Talking with Friends” is about exactly what you think and after so many of us cooped up because of COVID-19 it feels a little too relevant considering how many of us haven’t seen our pals and have to get information in quick little doses. It’s kind of nice that this is a recent release that feels more universal in its execution and themes and isn’t bogged down by current events.
It kind of goes with that pre-internet boom sound the band has going on. “Close Your Eyes and Floor It” is a lot darker than you might expect but it still has that uplifting vibe. “Medicine Head” has that palpable sleepy head vibe that pairs super well with Dufilho’s kind of monotone singing voice that’s got a lot more quirks and nuanced than you might realize.
I’m really only covering the first half of the album to give you an idea of what’s in store and how even the back end of the album builds upon this foundation even stronger and you’ll be surprised how many of these songs stick around in your head. If I could be a little more abstract, it feels like the kind of album you queue up on a Friday night drive to go meet up with friends and we need more sounds like that. Sounds that make us feel a little more as I’m sure these guys feel now that they’re back.
