Album Review: The Dewars- Adult Sing-A-Longs EP

While the PR material for The Dewars specifically name drops Syd Barrett and Jeff Magnum/Neutral Milk Hotel, I guess upon the initial listen of their digital EP Adult Sing-A-Longs, I heard a strong Beatle-esq influence, as well as a throwback to the rich, warm sounding, sun-kissed 70’s AM Radio pop.

The Dewars are twin brothers from West Palm Beach—facts that they address in the opening track, “It’s All A Part of The Show.” Self-referential, self-aware, and genuinely charming and whimsical, “Part of The Show,” sets up the rest of the EP, which tosses in bits of humor, but grows increasingly real as it progresses.

“Beach Country” stays true to its name—projecting a beachy vibe, sliding into a little bit of lounge, with the slow jam back beat, sensuous horns, and cleanly strummed guitar. “Switzerland,” the most Beatle-esq track, juxtaposes imagery of World War II with personal melancholy and indecision. It’s a bold choice, and while the song grows jauntier as it heads towards the end, the lyrics are delivered in earnest, lending a serious truth to their metaphor.

The EP’s final track, “Not Anymore,” is another successful song that dresses up something serious by burying it within a catchy, fun pop song. The final line of the song is, “So take this bag of disposable memories and throw it off of a bridge and say ‘not anymore.’” So that’s like some Live Journal #realtalk level shit right there. But it’s also powerful, and it’s cleverly sung against music you can’t help but bob your head and snap yo fangaz along.

(just a couple of good bros, parachuting in with these dope jams)

The strange thing about The Dewars—well, at least theirBandcamp page—is that they have other releases listed, but no music included in them. The only other available release is their five-song Daytrotter session from two years ago, where they had a drastically different sound. It’s an interesting look back on a band that wasn’t on my radar until Tuesday (not kidding)—and it shows how far these brothers have come in a short amount of time.

As we head into the dog days of summer, Adult Sing-A-Long serves as an excellent soundtrack—uniquely combining a Instagrammed nostalgia with something undoubtedly contemporary.

Adult Sing-A-Longs is available now as a digital EP, courtesy of the newly imprinted Decades Records.