Words by Jimmy Glinster
Release Date: June 8
Guess who’s back, back again, Jimmy’s back, tell a friend! Or don’t tell anyone, I don’t really care because this isn’t about me, or the lack of me in this review section for a short while because I fucked off and got married. And it definitely has fuck all to do with Eminem, but you must admit, it has felt a little empty without me.
Anyway, Dayshifter are a mob of lads from some cold, damp and dreary joint in the UK called Newcastle, and going by their press release, the goal with their new album Hiraeth is “to break down the stigma surrounding mental health and encourage open communication”.
They further go on to say, “We hope to use our music as a platform to show listeners that they are not alone in their struggles and that there is always someone who understands how they feel.” That’s nice of them, but what would have been nice is a mention of their genre somewhere in their press release so that I knew what I was about to get myself into, or if I should even bother. I mean, they look like a bunch of D&D nerds. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s all the hype right now, but is Dayshifter?
Emerald Green kicks the album off with some synth, strings and some very pretty vocals, and I’m starting to think that Mr Heavy himself Krispy has stitched me up with a pop album. This goes on for a couple of minutes before some heavy guitars jump in for the last minute or so which makes me prematurely a little excited about what may lie ahead.
Unlike that first track, Holy Ghost doesn’t fuck around and jumps right into a heavy melodic bounce. Again though, some super clean vocals make me cringe until shit gets decently heavy to the point where I may have just cracked a smile on this otherwise disappointed-looking face. I do fear that I will be hit with super melodic choruses again as it has that vibe, but while the choruses pull back from the brutal screams of the verses, they still hold a fair bit of grit while also maintaining some impressive melodies. This is a vocal style that very much impresses me because it’s actually hard as fuck to do!
While not as heavy or rocking as the previous track, 1936 opens with a very similar heavy melodic vibe. It’s more of a brooding vibe than the previous track but moments of heavy chugs and riffing excite and elevate the song in moments. A mix of super clean melodic, dirty melodic, and heavy screams shift in and out throughout the track which itself shifts between clean melodic, dirty melodic and just downright heavy. It’s not an easy task to switch between styles and tones without losing continuity within a track, but Dayshifter have nailed it on this one.
The intro to Rain (Forever) reminds me of the Paramore song from that shitty teen vampire movie. While that could be considered a bad thing, it pricked up my ears and made me pay attention, so that’s a win. The song sounds fuck all like that other misery business if you are able to decode what the fuck I’m talking about. It’s heavy and melodic like its predecessors, and the band seems to have set a solid basis for their sound and it’s one that works.
Just like a fine wine, as the album ages, Rosè intensifies the flavour of the album with more big melodies and some added extra oomph when the band gets heavier than it has been so far. I’ve become lost in my thoughts about this one as I’m typing about it, and it’s about to end. It’s somewhat of a slow burner, albeit heavy as fuck in sections, but it keeps you interested and drags you even further with those heavy melodic vocals during the dying phrases of the song.
Old Souls, Young Hearts opens with synth and clean vocals and y’all know how much I love that. Luckily though, it fucked off pretty quickly and the band jumps into some heavy as fuck broken grooves with screamed lyrics that border on rap. The choruses slow down, and the guitars open up the melody as the vocals also shift to a more melodic tone. The track then pulls back to primarily drum and bass accompanied by some melodic guitar strokes which are buried in the mix below some clean vocals phrases. The song then shifts again into the heavy. This band really likes bouncing between styles, and they do it really fucking well!
It’s usually about here during an album review when I’ll start to bounce through the tracks a bit quicker because I’ve generally settled on the vibe of the album and pretty much feel I know what to expect. To be honest though, even though I kind of know what to expect with this band, I’m very fucking interested to hear just what they do and how they do it. I also usually try to wrap it up because I think by this point that you’ve already probably stopped reading. If you’ve made it this far, I owe you a drink the next time I see you, but only if you can quote the band and album name to me!
Anyway, Anyway But Here was just playing while I wrote that last paragraph, and I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts to pay too much attention, but here goes. It was heavy, and it was melodic. Oh, and it was well put together. Sounds much like the rest of the album, yeah?
As I jump back in to catch up on Buried In Grey the song hits some intense breakdowns which act as a backing to the verses. This is a massive-sounding track which I’m just gonna sink into for a minute and stop typing. Fuck, and there it goes! Banger!
It’s time for the title track, Hiraeth, and it’s everything I hadn’t hoped for … a solid minute of synth …
The band’s new single Fever Dreaming is the album closer which is an unusual spot for a single, because it is usually one of your better songs, or a ballad. And low and behold, the song started like it was a ballad. Luckily though, about 35 seconds into it, the band decides to stop fuck arsing around and the song devastatingly takes a twist into the heavy melodic bounce that I’ve experienced on almost every track. The vocals in the choruses get a little cleaner than I’d prefer, but it is their single, so I guess I’ll let them get away with it this time around.
There’re so many reasons for this album to end up on my shit list including the super clean vocals, synth and generic moments of core that are scattered throughout. But there never seems like there is ever too much of any of these things, and the band somehow manages to blend it all together into one massive sound! Maybe I’m getting soft in my old age, or maybe Dayshifter are doing something right? I’ll let you be the judge of that!
PS: I got all the way through this review without accidentally typing Dayshitter – very narrowly – which is impressive. Almost impressive as that fart that almost just turned into a shart and literally would have been a dayshitter. Now, wouldn’t that have been a story…
*All reviews in HEAVY are just one person’s opinion of the album. We encourage honesty in reviews but just because our reviewer may or may not like/appreciate an album, that doesn’t mean their opinion is right! We encourage you to have a listen for yourself and make up your own minds!*
