The Dangerous Summer
Golden Record
Hopeless Records – August 6th 2013
By Joshua Khan (@blaremag)
Find it at: iTunes | Insound | HMV Digital
6.2
Bloodied and heartsick, the fractured alternative pop of the Maryland four-piece has always been fit for rom-coms, reflective periods, and moments where sitting next to your car radio and a handful of poignant lyrics just feels right. Their autobiographical impressions tear at rib cages and Jimmy Eat World homages, and The Dangerous Summer are well aware: Golden Record is their moment of Clarity. It’s just as their material’s youthful, melodic confusion wraps around tighter rhythms, the band almost struggle to illuminate their literate songcraft across another entire album. “Sins” and “Catholic Girls” are cutting visuals of emotional grit – with “Knives” establishing a whole new volume – but others falter to project, with riff-happy tracks and “woah-ohs” overshadowing AJ Perdomo’s ability to hit where it hurts. More than often, Golden Record falls into that bland pop-rock territory, and at it’s best, it makes you wonder what it would have looked like if The Dangerous Summer traded in spacious peaks (“Drowning”) for a softer focus. Without mistake, lines like “I’m finally new” would self-destruct with the cathartic sound we’ve all come to know.
Listen: “Sins”, “Knives”, “I’m So Pathetic” || Watch: “Catholic Girls”