Dawes | A Review of Their Debut Album North Hills

Dawes a band out of Los Angeles has come out with their first album North Hills. Fans of similar roots-rockers like Dr. Dog should be excited over this new addition to the music world. The album North Hills has a hearty sound to it as though it was forged in a vintage whiskey bar. The songs that populate the track list are light and subtle. With a simplicity of sound of the band that lulls you into a sense of comfort and familiarity which only makes for a more enjoyable listening experience. Tracks like Give Me Time have an unmistakable feel to them, a feeling that just doesn’t seem to belong to this time unless they are being played on a classic rock station. Even so, Dawes does not come across as a poser band or wannabees. What they seems to be doing is taking from a golden era of music that for the most part has managed to prove itself timeless. North Hills could be considered a retro rock revamp by some, when in fact they are a part of the growing movement of musicians all around the world that have not revamped a type of music because it was popular, but like so many other people have rediscovered the classics and want to be apart of it. Even though the musicians who make up Dawes were still in diapers while music similar to theirs was becoming popular, that just means their music was inspired by the best. Musicians like Bob Dylan, Neil Young, CCR, The Rolling Stones and of course The Beatles are either so engrained in the hearts and minds of anyone who has ever listened to music or are on their way to being so through the vast/free collection of music available on the web. What it comes down to though more than anything or any inspirational influences is the end result. And what Dawes have created feels substantial and will no doubt live on past the life of all of the fellow releases of that month filled with uninspired electronica and 80’s reboots. Dawes is a sweet California dream that contains echoes of the past and speaks to the present. Key tacks of North Hills are, That Western Skyline, When You Call My Name, Give Me Time and If You Let Me Be Your Anchor.