Dave Hause

Kick

Written by: PP on 16/11/2019 12:05:38

Most solo projects by punk rock vocalists tend to be acoustic or semi-acoustic interpretations of their main band's material, resulting in songs where it often feels like they'd be much better with the full band on board. Not so with Dave Hause, who made his early career as the enigmatic singer for cult punk rockers The Loved Ones, but whose solo project has taken on a life of its own. On his fourth album "Kick", he continues to successfully channel his inner Bruce Springsteen as before, resulting in satisfying punk-fueled, Americana-twisted singer-songwriter soundscapes for the ages.

From the upbeat opening track "Eye Aye I" to the troubadour-esque, far-reaching ballad "Saboteurs", there's an eerie ooze of positive charge driving the anthemic sing-alongs created by Hause's charismatic singing style. It's so spirited, so easily-relatable and passionate even during its minimalistic moments that you can play it to just about anyone and not meet much resistance. Most of this is attributable to his brilliant vocals that mix in just the right amount of heartland America with punk rock ethos to appeal both to the scene warriors and mainstream audiences alike. With electric guitars giving songs like "Civil Lies" the boost to the anthem zone, the resulting expression is near-perfect for sing-alongable moments as well as for crowd activating, energetic moments.

Although not exactly innovative or even particularly original, Dave Hause and "Kick" succeeds because of is unpretentious, unassuming drive towards writing a great American rock song in the vein of the likes of The Gaslight Anthem, Cheap Girls, and others like them. It carries itself with such an enjoyable, heart-on-your-sleeve type of vibe while providing catchy choruses left and right that I'm almost certain the album will creep up towards the higher ranks at the end of year lists, despite not being the most obvious candidate to do so this year. Rock-solid throughout.

8

Download: Eye Aye I, Saboteurs, Civil Lies
For the fans of: The Gaslight Anthem, Bruce Springsteen, The Loved Ones, The Bouncing Souls
Listen: Facebook

Release date 12.04.2019
Rise Records

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