The Damnwells
pmr + 1
In Music We Trust
The Damnwells apparently signed with Lost Highway just before this came out, and adding that to the fact that drummer Steven Terry used to be in Whiskeytown, you’d be forgiven for thinking this is all up-and-about alt-country.
But it’s not. Instead, The Damnwells have come up with a fine seven-track EP of subdued rock – “rock with problems,” in their own words – that continually explores and redefines its own outer limits. The band have support gigs for both Josh Rouse and Cheap Trick to show for their scars, and have far more in common with the former than the latter ones – this is power-pop that refuses unqualified happiness and conventional arrangements.
The songs are light and breezy but leave room for darker and more languid undercurrents as well, and vocalist Alex Dezen brilliantly captures this duality with his expressive but subdued singing. Not every song on here is equally great, but there are some true standout tracks and no real misses on what proves to be a remarkably well-rounded debut record.
In Music We Trust Records: http://www.inmusicwetrust.com
