ALBUM REVIEW: Gravity – The Dangerous Summer
Ever since they signed their first record deal as high school seniors, THE DANGEROUS SUMMER have proven to be one of the most dynamic rock bands in the scene. They’ve earned critical acclaim for five albums thus far, especially their 2018 self-titled effort which marked the end of a hiatus, but it was on 2022’s Coming Home that the band decided to shake things up a lot, favouring a more intimate and acoustic sound. Will Gravity continue in this direction, or do the band have a few more surprises up their sleeves?
I Feel More Like Myself When I’m Losing It is an emo-rock song. It is a safe start to the album, but there is also a surprise in the screamed backing vocals during the chorus which are blended into the singing. However, the song does lose some momentum during the bridge, which is mellower than the rest of the track. The lyrics are also quite repetitive, which means the song drags a little towards the end of its nearly four-minute runtime. Whilst it isn’t new or inventive in terms of its structure, next track Pacific Ocean is a nicely paced rock song that will translate well live, whereas the title track picks up the energy in a build-up to an explosion of rock music that unfortunately comes a little too late in the song.
This unfortunately happens a lot throughout the album, such as in What’s An Hour Really Worth?, although the lyrics that are about embracing life make up for the unexciting musical structure. Turning Love Into War is a sombre number that shows some individuality amongst the paint-by-numbers rock songs. This change in pace makes the mid-tempo guitar-driven alternative rock of Where Did All The Time Go? more appreciated. There is even an electronic outro to the song that shows that the band are not just a one-trick pony. But unfortunately they never truly break out of their alt-rock/emo sound. Whilst it is clear that they know their sound and those who are fans of the genre will love this, others might find the similarity between the songs a little boring.
It gets better though. Wild Ones, a moody emo rock song, shows off bassist/singer AJ Perdomo‘s voice, the mid-tempo Clouds In My Eyes highlights the talents of guitarist Josh Withenshaw and drummer Christian Zawacki, Dream breaks away from the repetition of the album by combining high energy rock and slower moments to create a perfectly paced song, and closer Into The Stratosphere is an acoustic rock song that provides the perfect full circle moment. However these songs feel a little too late to make up for the rest of the album.
Ultimately though, Gravity isn’t a bad record. It’s coherent, has some brilliant alt-rock/emo songs, and it even tries dipping its toe into new things. However, it does mainly stick to the same formula. Whilst it is clear that THE DANGEROUS SUMMER have perfected their sound, it does get a little tiresome and repetitive. If you love the band’s tried and tested alt-rock and emo sound, then you will still enjoy this album, but if you were hoping for something different from THE DANGEROUS SUMMER you won’t really find it here.
Rating: 6/10
Gravity is out now via Rude Records.
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