When looking for new band or a new album to listen to, you want something that is going to create an impact and stay with you for one reason or another. Today we look at the brand new album by Dustbowl Revival.

So firstly, who is Dustbowl Revival?

Dustbowl Revival are from Los Angeles and have been creating music for a decade. They specialise in the genre of American Folk Rock and have been a big hit on the festival circuit for some time. The band is made up of eight members and they have played shows in ten countries with a fan base that is ever growing.

Let’s Talk about the album

This album is a follow up to their 2017 self titled album which has got over 7 million hits on Spotify.  The new album, titled Is It you, Is It Me is a mix of their unique style infused with subtle pop sounds. It was written in a two week intense sessions and it has a huge number of different instruments played on the album by different members of the band.

The albums aim is to be ’emotional and self reflective’ and tackles both uneasy subjects as well as political. The album is not afraid to explore and take risks and provides songs that are about vulnerability to songs that focus on a cinematic orchestral feel.

Stand Out Tracks on The album 

Sonic Boom

This song is a slow one on the album but the music construction is really interesting and the way that strings and brass instruments have been used throughout to create a metaphorical emotion through the song is really interesting. The chorus and the way that it is sung has a really interesting echo style effect because the way that the male and female singer are in different octaves it creates a wonderful contrast. I like the fact that the song is called Sonic Boom as it feels to me that when you realise how clever this song is, that moment has already passed.

Mirror

The way the string instruments are plucked throughout this track creates a really melodic introduction to this song. It allows you to hear the emotion that is being depicted in the lyrics and as the music becomes more developed these heighten. Two thirds of the way though the song there is a wonderful instrumental section that is calming and really beautiful as the brass instruments intertwine through the strings. A perfect song for a summers day.

Ghost

The main hero in this song is the brass instruments they break up the song and it creates a huge impact on the listening experience. I would say this is one of the most interesting songs on the album as it has a lot of layers musically and I think it would be one of those songs you would desperately want to hear live as there are so many elements. The lyrics are poetic and compliment the way the music jumps from one style to the next.

What’s The Verdict?

It is a fun album with a range of different sounds throughout, there is a track for everyone as the songs are just so varied in their style. Take time to listen to the lyrics as you can tell that this is an album that they really thought about thoroughly when constructing it together.

Rating: 7/10