“Laced with twinkling synths and soothing echoing vocals, the single bursts at the seems with melancholia; from the distant yet warming drumbeat, to the heartfelt lyricism that bounces over vintage guitar strings.”- Wonderland Magazine
Three-piece experimental indie-rock band Thee More Shallows released three albums and a few EPs back in the early 00’s, garnering critical acclaim and a cult following before the band disbanded. Each of the members moved into new phases of their lives. Now, frontman Dee Kesler has emerged from the wilderness working under the Thee More Shallows moniker again with the help of some previous band members and some new musicians. New album ‘Dad Jams’ is the first Thee More Shallows offering in fourteen years and comes out this May 28th on Monotreme Records.
‘Dad Jams’ is a retrospective look at life’s trajectory and the personal and creative choices that shape its convoluted path. Musically, it retains the adventurous, experimental edge of previous Thee More Shallows albums, but is also rooted in a stronger pop sensibility, with plenty of bouncy, hooky melodies that burrow into the mind for days.
Following first album taster single ‘Ancient Baby’ and the equally bright and infectious ‘Drinking Tang’, Thee More Shallows dropped the dreamy dating-app inspired melancholy-pop of ‘Hey, Come On!’. With the fourth and final single to come before the album’s release Thee More Shallows have saved their best til last. ‘Boogie Woogie’ is a shapeshifting electro nerd-pop banger that builds around a restrained synth groove that surprises and delights in the sort of way bands like Foster The People and The Temper Trap combine sensitive emotive themes in a tightly packed indie formula.
On ‘Boogie Woogie’, Dee said, “This might be my favourite track on DAD JAMS. It toes the line between the cynicism and fatigue you experience in the middle of your life, and the hard-won, solid lessons you learn: the ones that prop you up and stand in for wisdom.”
‘Dad Jams’ will be available on CD and digital formats from 28th May 2021, as well as a limited edition vinyl LP (200 copies on 180 g white vinyl), which can be ordered from Monotreme Records.
