Album cover of Southern Californian band almost monday’s debut album, DIVE.
In mid-October, Liberty’s Publications department received posters and a press release for California band almost monday. They asked us to listen to and review their debut album, DIVE.
Consisting of Dawson Daugherty (vocals), Cole Clisby (guitar), and Luke Fabry (bass), almost monday continues to expand upon their distinctive sundrenched sound with DIVE. The indie-rock/indie-pop trio infuses endlessly catchy hooks into their catalog of songs about good times, friendship, and SoCal surf culture, winning over fans across the globe.
Released on Sept. 25, the album showcases a series of tight, upbeat melodies and toe-tapping rhythms. DIVE is a coming-of-age record and, as Dawson puts it, “a snapshot of us as individuals and as a collective.” He adds: “We take Polaroids of the crowd at every show. We wanted the album to feel like one of those Polaroids where you capture the moment. It might be blurry, but it’s that snapshot in time of who we are and what we like.”
A press release photo of SoCal band almost monday received by Liberty’s publications department.
Previously-released singles such as “sunburn,” “tidal wave,” and “she likes sports” gave fans an early taste of what to expect from the album: upbeat, infectious tracks about growing up, wrapped in energetic, beachy melodies.
The new offerings from the album further meld the trio’s nostalgic surf-rock tones with modern indie-pop production. Tracks like funk-inflected synth bop and album single “jupiter” and indie-pop gem “can’t slow down,” which hit the Top 20 on the Alternative Radio chart, further encapsulate album themes of nostalgia and the magic of getting older.
In the boxes below, I’ll review each song from the album, in order.
After the hundreds of time I’ve listened to this album, dissecting each individual piece of every song, I still find myself hearing new things I hadn’t heard before and being able to appreciate them. I really enjoyed this album and it’s consistent theme of reflecting on getting older, which is something I relate to personally. I’m excited to see what almost monday has in store in the future.
Jack Galloway is a junior and this is his first year in journalism. In his free time he enjoys listening to and writing music, playing video games, and hanging out with his girlfriend. He’s in two bands and loves anything to do with music. He also enjoys watching baseball and was once a baseball player. After high school he hopes to be a music teacher.
