Yeah love these guys and am rooting for them all the way but there's just not much going on in this song. FTA has been easily my fav of the 3. Worried they're gonna miss Ben more than I thought
This is my favorite of the three so far. To me, this just sounds very much like what an AJ solo record would sound like, except he just kept the Dangerous Summer name. But the songs are all good regardless.
This is my least favorite, to be honest, "Lie to Me" is probably my favorite. Maybe "Come Along." That one's classic TDS. Definitely a more laid back vibe to some of the songs, but for an EP, I think that's usually what I want. Something a little different.
Haven't we already had that discussion several times over? There were constant references to alcohol abuse in their earlier work as well. Alcohol is considered a drug. I personally don't drink or partake in drugs, but I can relate to the emotional sentiments that are being conveyed in these new songs. If you can't reconcile your perception of an artist's life / actions / work, it's okay to not listen anymore.
After my third listen, I could definitely hear Jumper in the beginning. Knew it sounded somewhat familiar
Hey y'all, saw this thread linked in @Jason Tate's newsletter so I figured I'd come say hi. I did the all the artwork for the physical release of this, plus a couple merch designs, so the guys trusted me with the full EP early as well. My general thoughts after a few listens are that it feels like a continuation of Mother Nature – some of the traditional TDS elements with a decent amount of experimentation. I can't say this with authority, but I feel like Matt has been really flexing some songwriting muscles here and on Mother Nature that weren't as fully developed on the self-titled. The piano on some of these songs especially feels like a natural evolution for their sound via Matt. I'll also echo some of Jason's thoughts: a lot of these do feel like EP songs that wouldn't necessarily work as well on a full-length, and I don't think you should feel discouraged as a fan if you don't love them all. I also gravitate most to some of the unreleased tracks, so I encourage you to still give the full EP a listen even if you didn't like some of those released so far. I've been working on and off with the band since they returned from hiatus, and I'll say that right now is the most energized I've ever seen them to make new art. They are constantly writing and in the studio, and they're especially invested in creating/releasing now that they're independent – it feels like they're putting all of themselves into all of this, even if it doesn't show 100% on the consumer side of things. So grab a record or even a just digital download preorder – every penny goes towards making new art.
Also– I love Ben so much and miss him like hell in this band, but he is still doing cool shit. His new band is called DIM and they've shared a couple clips of songs on instagram. I'm coincidentally doing some artwork for them as well, so I've heard a few of their demos and I think people around here will really dig them. Think like late 90s/early00s indie pop rock with catchy melodies, soaring vocals, and some lush, post-rock-esque instrumentation. Give them a follow.
I like these songs so far especially when mixed with their entire catalog. RFTS and War paint are bonafide classics but they have a very similar sound. When I hit random on all their songs now and these new ones come on, it sounds refreshing and adds a different facet to their catalog. I'm alive is very different to say, infinite. But I don't think they are trying for that type of epic shoot for the stars song this time That said, I'm alive is prob my least favorite of the 3 and hope it grows on me...