Album Review: Dads - 'American Radass (this is important)'

Dads are a two piece Emo band from New Brunswick. And when I say Emo, I mean Texas is the Reason emo, not the overused press buzzord from the last decade. I was immediately interested due to the band being from New Brunswick, which is also the hometown of Thursday, who are one of my all-time favourites.

That's about the only info you'll find on these guys, other than some photos of them performing as a duo. This confuses me as I noticed from the get-go that this is a pretty bass-heavy record. Their presence on the internet doesn't really give a lot away about them, but based on their previous material, they seem to have a sense of humour. Questions about how easily they could reproduce this record live aside, it's a pretty good record. Dads' songwriting is earnest, and they manage to write post-hardcore influenced riffs that are cheerful, and the band's music, no matter what sway the lyrical content takes, invokes a sense of whimsy. It's music to put a smile on the face.

As for how it sounds? Think Polar Bear Club with cleaner vocals, and more jangly guitars and arpeggios. And I'm sure as hell not complaining about that. However, truth be told, this is a good album that could have been great had a little more attention been paid to the production. The clarity of the vocals is often lost in the mix, and in start contrast to the jangly guitars, there are times when the bass track (something that they as a two-piece band probably do not even make heavy use of live) is a little overwhelming. 

Dads have overwhelming potential. They could quite easily be a big thing, American Radass is the band's third effort, and whilst they have some way to go before they could break through to a larger audience. Their genre, in itself is somewhat out of vogue, much to the disappointment of its fans. In the event that emo in the true sense makes a resurgence, I'll expect to see these guys at the forefront of their genre. A solid effort.