by Kris Handel (@khandel84)
The past couple of years have been busy musically for Zack James as a couple of his projects have released outstanding records, notably Robber Robber’s Two Wheels Move The Soul and Surprise Wish, the third full length from from Dari Bay. With Dari Bay, James works his dreamy indie-pop into a melange of “classic rock” melodies, experimentation, and the sweet cool of bands like Alex G and Trace Mountains. Handling most everything on the record himself gives the project a sense of true freedom, allowing James to switch from laid back harmonies to occasional injections of electronic squelch or waves of distortion. He’s tapping into feelings of romance and noticing the beauty around himself with a touch of melancholy that reaches deep into the audiences’ emotions, the added clarity playing well with the open flow of the songwriting.
“Video” has James mixing melancholy with crashing power-pop guitars and weaving bass that mix a bit of Elliott Smith into the Pavement-ish wobbling. The song starts and stops in fits that fit nicely with the vocals, easily slipping between registers as the strong bass line bobs with the melodies and the instrumental breaks flail away enthusiastically. “We’re Gonna Be Okay” is over-driven pop that kicks off with a Tom Petty-esque swagger as James’ vocals mingle with each other through different echoing textures. The guitar wavers and bends into interesting shapes and a spare keyboard underlines an unsteady footing in the storytelling, but the song relatably reaches the audience with it’s sweetness and determined light-at-the-end-of-a-tunnel expression of adoration.
“Chevy” starts off drifting into dream-pop territory as a keyboard twinkles before James’ guitar crunch and vocals appear adding a fun melodic contrast. Dari Bay plays with the listener as the song flows between various grooves including a deep bass line, a little scratching, and spikiness to catch you pleasantly off guard and subvert expectations. “Bet On the Feeling” has James giving into the moment as vocals warmly chirp amid occasional hesitation before shifting to chunks of punk with jutting drum fills and journeying riffs. Instead of fretting or overthinking, he’s doing his best to express giving yourself over to whatever happens instead of throwing in the towel when adversity arises.
Surprise Wish is a record that shows Dari Bay evolving with an accomplished confidence. Zack James’ songs have a way of coming off tangled and swiftly executed but there is a depth to these tracks that jump out at every listen. He manages to blend his love of pop with a unique approach to song form and the ability to pull out sing-along moments with expressive bursts of noise which proves a neat trick time and again. The ability to mix bright pop with a unique personality is a massive strength of the record. Dari Bay easily transition from stinging moments of introspection to embracing the joys around you throughout an album designed to lose yourself in, perfect for a long trip or the times when you need to take a step back and detach from yourself.