Released on Sept. 25, “DIVE” is the first album from almost monday, a trio group under Hollywood Records. With nearly 60k followers, the band consists of Dawson Daugherty (vocals), Luke Fabry (bass), and Cole Clisby (guitar).
Originating from California, they launched in college back in 2020 taking on their own upbeat take on indie-pop. The group has opened for bands such as AJR during the kick off of their career. Now, the band has performed over 260 concerts so far.
“DIVE” brings a collection of 11 songs spanning almost 30 minutes. The album’s intro “dive” brings a whole new feel compared to the songs they have released in the past. The song being barely over one minute, has distorted vocals and a slowed down flow, with a blurring background resembling old recordings from the 50s gives an eerie start to their collection of songs.
The album shifts back to their original indie pop sound after “dive” concludes. Going straight into “is it too late?’” they bring a single from April to the album. This record has a basic breakup feel with lyrics such as “but girl without you nothing’s going my way / […] baby, baby I just want you back,” while still keeping an upbeat summer vibe.
The trio then shifts over to their third song “never enough,” moving straight into the chorus “you’re my favorite part of everyday / no, I never really say it enough.” This song brings a lovely switch from the past songs in the album, always coming back to the words “I never say it enough.” Each section of the track brings up multiple memories that were shared between the two depicted in the song.
“you look so good” keeps up the supportive percussion and highlights the guitar in a more inclusive way while giving the guitar time for a semi-solo. The song starts with talking about a mundane activity such as walking a dog; which ties right into the repetitive chorus. “You look so good / you should be a model, yeah, you know you should.”
The lyrics in “you look so good” takes the song around admiration for a passerby, then shifts into a brief segment of a bursted dream, before going straight back into the dreamy chorus again. This song is the first unreleased track for listeners on the album without serving as a single before the album’s release.
The following songs “she likes sports” and “can’t slow down” take two different approaches to the album, both released earlier this year outside of the album. With both songs, the ever changing addition and reduction of percussion, guitar and bass in the background gives an interesting shift in pace throughout the song, always coming back to the original rhythm and style during the choruses.
The seventh song, “jupiter,” is the longest track in the album, being just over three minutes long. The song brings a techno like style into their band with sound morphs and melodies. With the phrase “just can’t enough” repeating in the background throughout the whole song. The song is yet another addition to the list of songs about relationships on this album.
The album brings back two more of their past songs into the album as well. “tidal wave,” a simple summer-like track, compares the feeling of being with a significant other as being on a tidal wave, floating away from everything else going on. Lyrics including “listening to your favorite song, these are the days, we’re on a tidal wave,” also ties with different times the two were together doing everyday activities that also were put into the lyrics. The song finishes up by repeating the phrase “I need you near me,” emphasizing the importance of the other person.
Their eighth track “sunburn” has received over 33 million streams on Spotify, a previously released single, has reached their most popular song so far. A post breakup song emphasizes how someone has left with the repetitive phrase “the days we spent were temporary / but you’ll always be that sunburn on me.” With the group’s ordinary supportive guitar and percussion it’s easy to miss the meaning behind the catchy song.
“seaside market” is a calmer take on the album, having a more melancholy mood but then shifting straight back into their signature sound within seconds of the chorus. The song gives off a plea for someone to stay, with the lyrics “could you pick up the phone? / cause I need you to know / without you I’m a ghost,” being sung multiple times. Also having similar remarks of “I don’t want you to go,” and “it’s not even fair, I love you the most.”
The album wraps up with “life goes by,” a song from summer of 2023, that spreads how fast time has gone for the group. Lyrics like “Take me to the beach cause I miss the feeling” tie back to the beaches where the band originated, California. The track is a good ending to the album, wrapping up every song put into their release.
The group almost monday brings a new look to indie pop with their mix of instrumentation and vocal range throughout their songs. Listeners that are wanting something similar to The Beach Boys or indie pop bands such as WHALES•TALK and COIN, may find almost monday as a good new listen.
