Dashing Suns Really Like You

Oakland four piece, Dashing Suns seem to fit perfectly in the Bay Area, the only problem is they seem to be about 40 years too late to the party. Sounding something like the perfect garage rock band that would have hung out across the bay and made the Fillmore their home, this group of musicians embraces that west coast philosophy of songwriting and mix it with a feeling that everything the Byrds did was just about perfect. With sun drenched melodies and harmonies that seem almost too joyous for the east, the Dashing Suns album, Really Like You is a jangle happy fun record that seems like a perfect expression of how they feel. You get the sense that while listening to this album, Dashing Suns really do like you and they want to give you a great big audio hug.

With fuzzy moments sidling up to jangly ones Really Like You is an effervescent pop delight that's so covered in fun that it's almost obscene. And yet amongst all this fizzy festiveness are a few spiky numbers that almost sound too punk for their own good; thankfully, those are but fleeting moments amongst a sea of bubble gum pop. Sugary sweet and jumpy as a jumping bean, Really Like You never allows you to calm down; the record is in a perpetual frolic that never seems to slow down. In fact, the band has apparently imbibed so much caffeine and sugar that even when they slow things down they're still ridiculously overjoyed. Really Like You is a fantastic rush of blood to the head; it's the sort of record that will make you dizzy with excitement and plant a grin on your mug.

Dashing Suns have thrown more than a dash of sunshine into Really Like You. This record is overflowing with sun, fun, and melodic bliss and it's just about perfect as a result. In a day and age where the world pretty much sucks, Really Like You is like a big aural pat on the back. This is a great record from a great band that might be a few decades late to the 60's party but at least they made it and their mistake is totally our gain. Sometimes being late works to everyone's advantage.