Album Review: Saves The Day - 'Daybreak'

Do you know what the best way to subtly reaffirm the fact that you are a long standing fixture in the music scene, and one that deserves respect? Start your seventh studio album with an eleven minute opening song that crosses over five different musical genres and wraps up all of the negative lyrical themes that consumed the two records before it.

Saves The Day are at a point in their career where things are no holds barred, they have weathered the storm so to speak and battled through label dramas, line-ups changes, management law-suits, you name it they have had it. All the while they have released quality albums that, whilst never excelling the band into mainstream fame, have more than cemented their position as a cult classic.

‘Daybreak’ is an extremely appropriate title for both the music and lyrics found on this record. As mentioned before the last few Saves The Day offerings have been a little on the darker side, on the new album frontman and main songwriter Chris Conley is letting the light shine through. Once you get past the epic title track, which includes everything from synth pop to alternative rock, the remainder of the songs range from some of the heaviest moments the band have produced to melody heavy numbers that show a large leap in maturity for the group.

This may be one of the most diverse Saves The Day records ever made, however fans will not be disappointed as the main elements that people love about the band are still there in the core. The guitar work is by far the stand out feature of the record, best exemplified on one of the album stand outs Chameleon, a song full of slick riffs and a heavy groove. The grungy distortion pedals are in full force on tracks like 1984 and Z which play well off of the lighter feel from the rhythm section giving the songs a great dynamic.

One of the more negative titles on the tracklist Deranged & Desperate actually turns out to be one of the brightest songs, full of excellent melodies and harmonies set to an upbeat tempo. The main highlight however is saved until the end with the album closer Undress Me, one of the softest and most atmospheric moments on the record that really shows just how far this band have come.

Saves The Day are well known for their consistent output which is all the more impressive considering the amount of band members they have had. ‘Daybreak’ sounds like a band who are not only comfortable with each other, but comfortable with the music they make which allows them to experiment more, as they do on this record constantly and successfully. Saves The Day are a band who should be running out of ideas by now, but are apparently very far from doing that.

1. Daybreak
       I. Somehow You Love Me
       II. Fucked Up Past the Point of Fixing
       III. 8 AM
       IV. Zig Zag
       V. Daybreak
2. Let It All Go
3. 1984
4. E
5. Z
6. Deranged & Desperate
7. Chameleon
8. Living Without Love
9. U
10. O
11. Undress Me