The Dangerous Summer - Golden Record (Album Review)

The Dangerous Summer is hands down one of my favorite current era pop/alternative/rock bands. I thought their debut album Reach For The Sun was a nearly flawless album. Although I didn't think the follow-up Warpaint was quite as good, it was an overall nice follow-up. On the band's third album Golden Record they found themselves going through a big line-up change. On this album the band has a revamped line-up featuring two new members.

Golden Record to me is a somewhat airier record while feeling contained inside the intensity (if that makes sense at all). It has those tense moments and lyrics that just bite through the music with such meaning. While at the same time the songs breathe in a way that I maybe haven't heard quite as much on their previous albums.  AJ Perdomo is a great lyricist and any TDS record is anchored and brought down to Earth just by his lyrical ability alone. His strained vocals just belting out the personal and intense lyrics has become a staple of The Dangerous Summer. Musically the album is really good. I'm not sure the line-up change has affected the song writing in a negative way at all. New members Matt Kennedy and Ben Cato fit right in and the band doesn't miss a step or a beat.

The album kicks off with "Catholic Girls" and ends with "Anchor." From start to finish I can't find much to complain about. The album starts and finishes strong. "Catholic Girls" and "Miles Apart" are two of the best songs on the album both lyrically and musically. I think they serve as a couple of super high points on an album full of mostly high points. I don't think there's a single skipper on the album. It's one you can just hit start and let it play out.  

I think it's safe to say as a band The Dangerous Summer are serious business. They are three for three in great albums. I know some nitpick about some songs having a sameness to them, but it seems to me like that's a small complaint when lyrically and musically you have a band delivering the quality of songs this band has done album after album. I definitely recommend checking it out. It really is as simple as this band has a songwriting quality and ability to them that is rare and their albums reflect that.