Eternal Summers
The Drop Beneath
Reviewed by: Adam McGrath
Eternal Summers sounds like a band you’d find on the West Coast, but the Virginia-based trio must simply have an inner lightness that finds its way into their music. The band’s fourth LP, The Drop Beneath (Kanine Records), continues the evolution of the dream rock sound developed on 2012’s Correct Behavior.
The Drop Beneath starts in high gear, with opener “100” establishing the uptempo energy that carries largely through the first two-thirds of the album. Nicole Yun’s vocals float on top of her phased and lightly distorted guitar, a signature combination for this group. Drummer Daniel Cundiff relies mostly on ride cymbal and tom drums to create a thumping rhythm, and Jonathan Woods’ linear bass part drives this and other songs relentlessly forward.
Lead single “Gouge” boasts an impressive vocal performance from Yun, as she plays with the song’s sparse lyrics, sometimes stretching a word for two measures, other times letting one hang in the air like a rung bell. The shiny song has some dark imagery, though, with lines like “Gouge my eyes out / cut tongue from my mouth,” conjuring Oedipal-like punishment for “seeking the truth.”
The band takes a breath on the fourth track, “Keep Me Away,” but is right back in the fast lane on “Never Enough,” again combining chorus-laden rhythm guitar, crisp lead guitar, and resonating drum beats. The outro is a tad long, however.
Eternal Summers taps into its punk side on “Make It New,” the darkest and most intense track on the album. This could almost be a Yeah Yeah Yeahs song.
With “Not For This One,” The Drop Beneath downshifts into a slower, more deliberate type of songwriting that navigates the remaining third of the album. This particular track is quite nice, actually, with Cundiff taking a turn on vocals, and a refreshingly clean guitar line.
“Deep End” tries to reestablish the rock-driven nature of the earlier tracks, but any regained momentum is lost on the breezy and languid songs that follow. In a rare piece of positioning, title track “The Drop Beneath” closes out the 11-song album, and at seven minutes, serves as a fitting recap for the musical expedition just completed.
The Drop Beneath offers light, fuzzy rock songs that will serve as a great backdrop for your spring cleaning or that first drive of the year with the windows down.
Rating: Listenable
