Going to see Dayglow is like going to see seven concerts rolled in one. The band might as well be a late 70s supergroup that combines the sounds of Jackson Browne, Fleetwood Mac, Don Henley, Joe Jackson, Billy Joel, Toto and Peter Gabriel, but of course with a fresh Gen-Z enthusiasm and naiveté. But just as the shadow of Vietnam and racial tension eventually forced a compensatory reaction in rock n roll with progressive and yacht rock during the Jimmy Carter years, so too now, Sloan Struble is here with his band of merry Austiners to take your mind off of things during Biden’s early tenure. From mega-pop hit “Can I Call You Tonight?” and earwormy singles like “Nicknames” and “Hot Rod” off of their 2018 debut album Fuzzybrain, Struble’s latest album, Harmony House is rife with the same feel-good sensibilities as before, but with a little more danceable resonance in this shimmering sophomoric masterpiece. Songs like “Close To You”, “Something”, “Crying On The Dancefloor”, “Balcony” and “December” offer a new range, still in the wheelhouse of bouncy indie rock tracks or introspective pop country ballads, but now the emotional angst of an early teens has been transformed into a call for a better world as a young man. The bubbling early-80s synth sound is prominent now, up-front-and-center in an almost Vampire Weekend homage, along with the introduction of Lindsey Buckingham-esque solo runs by guitarist Colin Crawford, plus some wicked tenor sax bridges by Marshall Lowry (who unfortunately wasn’t at the show, in addition to the last-minute cancellation by opening act Hovvdy). The show also serves as a nexus for young people looking to connect—a diverse community with a gentle demeanor—with Struble asking everyone in attendance, during what could be an 80s TV sitcom intro song, “Moving Out”, to turn to their neighbors and introduce themselves to each other, to ask each other what they do and to ask where they’re from. This is 2021’s teenage version of church without the doxology…however instead of a responsorial “Amen”, there’s the invocation by Dayglow, “Let’s freakin’ rock!”
After a heartfelt encore of Tears For Fears’ “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” jutting immediately into their anthemic sing-a-long, “Run The World!!!” just about everyone went running to the merch table to pick up the new album. I highly recommend you do the same, if not, you’re what Struble would lovingly call, “Nutso!”
