Winter time is the season where you’re prone to feeling down and uninspired. There’s only so much gloomy weather you can handle and this affects the way you work and your mood. It becomes a groveling chore to even get out of bed because of the unforgiving cold that is felt through your skin. Suffice it to say, Dawes’ latest offering, All Your Favorite Bands brings warmth and encouraging light to your gloomy days of the winter season.
It’s nice to see soft-rock bands still exist and I don’t know if it’s an age thing but I’ve realised as you grow older, you begin to appreciate the classics. It’s easy to overlook the evolving music industry and I think sometimes we forget to appreciate the genres that don’t get much recognition – take folk-rock for example. Listening to All Your Favorite Bands brings a relaxing atmosphere to the table, making you forget about the little stresses life begins to throw at you and this makes you appreciate the timeless value it has for generations to come.
The nine-track album takes you on a journey. A journey where it reminds you of your childhood days where you’d be in the back of the car as the trees pass you by. As you grow older, you’re now driving the car and “Things Happen” comes on the radio, remembering high school graduation and the nameless faces of the people you spent almost a decade with. It’s a simple track with a minimalistic approach, paving way for Dawes to be an honest band. The feeling of nostalgia reels you in through its folk-rock sound that gives you a bit of a throwback to the hey days.
Close your eyes and you end up being enlisted for war. You begin to wander how you got in this position and the sacrifice you have had to put your life on the line; your family, your friends and the normal lifestyle you have to sacrifice. All for the purpose of bringing peace to your home country. Everything you’re leaving behind is all you’ve ever known and you seek comfort by listening to “Don’t Send Me Away”. You admire its simplicity from its guitar solos and the rhythm of drums and beats. You feel like you’re not alone and you begin to accept that change is a hard thing to adapt to but you realise that someone else feels the same way as you do and you begin to breathe easily.
Reaching retirement age, you begin to wonder how your friends are and you give them a ring. They don’t answer but you still remain hopeful. “Waiting For Your Call” comes on the radio and you begin to remember all the memories you shared with your friends and you begin tearing up and realising how much time has flown by; the distance that has developed and the longing for communication. And then the phone rings and you feel like that track was a summation of your life.
All Your Favorite Bands is a beautiful record. Dawes has a way of creating folk-rock music that keeps your imagination soaring. It’s a record that will make you feel better about today’s gloomy weather, reminding you that you’re only human. It will make you feel nostalgic about the parts of your life that have made you who you are and that’s a rarity in itself.
Review Score: 8.0 out of 10
All Your Favorite Bands is available now
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