ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Looking for the perfect soundtrack for deep thought? Augie March have you covered. The music is woozy, dreamy and bright, driven by Keirnan Box’s keys. Above all else, melody reigns supreme, Glenn Richards producing some of his most irresistible earworms yet.
The optimism found in the music is contrasted by the world-weary tone of Richards’ always on-point lyrics. The passing of time and mortality seem to be his chief concerns on this outing. We’re told justice “is a birthright / if you’re born right” and that time “heals a wound / like a crocodile saves its victims for later”.
On the musical front, highlights include ‘St Helena’, a breezy account of a boozer; ‘Villa Adriana’, the explosive lovechild of ‘Vernoona’ and ‘The Offer’; and ‘Never Been Sad’, which features the type of dark ambience that the band has been promising its entire career.
Havens Dumb doesn’t cast as wide a genre net as Sunset Studies or Strange Bird. But unlike their last couple of albums, due to their newfound independence the music isn’t influenced by outside factors. It’s pure, unfiltered Augie March, and it’s glorious.
4.5/5.
Havens Dumbis out Friday October 3 through Dark Satanic / Caroline.
