I’ll always take new AJ Perdomo. I would like lyricist AJ to retire some of these themes though. Thats always been my favorite part TDS and it’s a tiny bit lacking here. Other than that, it’s great!
I liked this a lot. I think it’s a good sound for the band at this point. Still clearly TDS but there’s a clear evolution in my opinion. Agree with all the love for LA in a Cop Car
'Lie to Me' is hands down one of the best songs they've ever recorded. Saying that, a lot of these songs lack the 'oomph' that makes me love their biggest songs off the last record, like 'Way Down' and 'Bring Me Back to Life' and 'Where Were You When the Sky Opened Up.' Honestly, I think a lot of the brilliance of the last two records had to do with the extremely unique and loud drumming from Ben and how the drums were not just a background instrument but a driving force in each song. I think they're really going to miss his musicality and we're going to be getting a lot more 'muted' Dangerous Summer from now on, which I'll still gladly take over nothing. Gillespie is a legend in his own right, but he doesn't do what Ben could do with this batch of songs that he played on (or the tracks he played on for Broken Glowsticks).
Does anyone feel like come down is in an odd location in the track listing? It feels like it should have maybe come a little later
I would love some more dual vocal stuff. This was a great taste of molly water tds and i am stoked for this merch bundle!
I definitely feel this... that being said, Aaron is an excellent drummer in his own right, so I feel like the more “muted” sound you’re referring to may be more of a conscious songwriting choice. I certainly don’t think it’s because of any limitations Aaron has as a drummer lol... I get what you’re saying though even though I personally love the EP, and would be interested in hearing some more energetic drum work from him in future releases.
I saw AJ post about some delays with the vinyl but he flew out to Colorado to sign and ship them this week.
Nothing wowed me on this, unfortunately. Come along’s chorus is way too repetitive for me, too, and it repeats a ton. It’s a bit grating to me, actually. Still, will always check out what the band does!
Definitely feel like there is little cohesiveness to these songs as a body of work and think some of that comes from it being self produced, AJ is an amazing songwriter but sometimes an objective third party is nice to have. That being said, 5/6 of these songs on their own are great tracks. The last three songs are exactly what I wanted, and Come Down while amazing, feels like a Broken Glowstick song to me. Come Along fits in a sweet spot of what War Paint's follow up album should've sounded like, imo. Looking forward to the band's future and am hopeful we'll get a cohesive album experience like we've gotten with their past records.
To echo what others have said, I liked this on first listen but I wish it had more urgency/was less mid-tempo overall. I also think something about the production sounds off to my ears, I think it’s the vocals? Self-producing seems like an odd route for them, and I remember the person who produced Mother Nature seeming a little bit surprised they went that direction with this release when he posted here a little while back. Not sure any of this makes sense, lol. That said I really liked Come Along on first listen and I hope the rest grows on me as well.
When A.J tweeted how much each album from Hopeless cost, and that they still haven't recouped. It made me think them being Independent is one of the reasons they didn't go to California to Panda Studios again with Sam. He tweeted Mother Nature was 20,000 dollars (paid for upfront by Hopeless) and they havent recouped. Now they are independent i imagine they don't have 20,000 to throw down? And that the self recording is exponentially cheaper. They have said they recouped already! And then some. And its been out what 3 days? Maybe if it goes this path for a while they can go back into the studio next year with Sam or someone at a large pro studio. Even with some chill thrown in, I'd like to hear them maintain some of that heavy edge from previous releases as well.
A whole lot of bands I care about have gone independent over the last decade, and to my ears, not a single one has ever been able to have the same sound on their own as they did when they were being produced by someone else. I think this is just a byproduct to people not buying music and everything being immediately available online; go back to the 90s and 00s when people were buying stuff and those records all sound huge. Producers and mixers all make a much bigger difference than most people realize. That said, this EP sounds good for an indie effort. It doesn’t sound as big or pristine as Mother Nature, but it’s solid. In my opinion.
I’m sorry if this upsets anybody, but I honestly think I like most of these songs better than anything on Mother Nature. LA In A Cop Car reminds me of listening to Reach for the Sun for the first time. There’s just something to it that I can’t place that really speaks to me. The production does hold the EP back some, though. I know others have said otherwise, but this band has always been a winter staple for me, so this release comes at the right time.
Thats so impressive. Theyve been an every season thing for me the last 12 years yeah but the true moments for them are those late summer nights for me. When self titled came out in January (February? Either way i got it signed at an acoustic thing and i remember it being so cold on the ride home), it was a weird feeling with the cold air. Still good but really hit later that spring.
I thought this too. Thought Lie to Me and Come Down should have been switched and it would’ve flowed a bit better and be a nice break between those songs as well.
Good call! I'm thinking 1. Fuck them all 2. Lie to me 3. Im alive 4. LA in a cop car 5. Come Along 6. Come Down Dat flow
Sam Pura has produced some of the best records over the last 2-3 years. Both Proper Dose and Mother Nature may be my favorite albums of 2018/2019 respectively. They both show such growth and the departure from straight pop-punk/rock to something more fused with indie-pop. Simply amazing in my book. I've been spinning both since their release dates and they haven't gotten old one bit. 'Take Me as You Please' and 'Where Were You When the Sky Opened Up' both floored me the first time I heard them. I pray TDS gets back with Pura next year to collaborate again.