David Archibald- the titular Dave of Daveband- is reflecting on some of the toughest times of his life with the group’s debut full-length This Was Your Dad At 28. Billed as “looking back at a time that passed too quickly, before you knew it was happening”, TWYD seems on the surface to be a never-ending grin of nostalgia. But as is often the case of the brightest smiles, there’s a lot to unpack behind it.
The essence of TWYD is evident from the get-go with opener “Might Be Alright”, a message of hope in the wake of depression and aimlessness. The feeling is all too pertinent right now but stems in particular from a few years back when Archibald found himself jobless and sleepless, as he details on “Lemonade”:
“This morning I had a job. This afternoon I don’t.
I guess I’ll go get a haircut
Not because I’m looking for a job,
But because I never had the time to go.”
Everything is tackled so earnestly tongue-in-cheek that you might miss how potent the coping going on is. Daveband blends some vintage, jukebox vibes into tracks like “Dear Hazel” and “Sackville” that heighten this carefree presentation of emotional honesty and break up the ever-rollicking album.
TWYD has a fullness and warmth to its tracks that aren’t always seen in Halifax indie-rockers. The guitars jangle, the riffs fly, the tone is giddy, but there is a polish to the edges that sets it apart. You can hear similarities to Harley Alexander (who plays on and produces some tracks) and defunct university darlings The Gnarwhalz- both artists who have travelled in the same orbits as Daveband. In this way, the album isn’t just a snapshot of Archibald’s recent years but is an interesting window into the recent Halifax university music scene.
For the most part, the sonic brightness is constant on the album. Wilder tracks like “Weatherbomb” have a touch of Thee Oh Sees, and there are down-to-earth revelations throughout the course of things that bring to mind Joel Plaskett’s Three. But it’s closer “Mello Gold” that brings audible melancholy and a beautiful way to ground us in all that’s been said. As the only true shade of overcast, it tempers the shine of TWYD just enough to really hone in on Archibald’s bittersweet words:
“I get the good sunlight this time of day
The walls turn to honey, the grey goes away.”
This Was Your Dad At 28 has a lot going for it. It’s full of life and friendship, smiles and hardships, nostalgia and grief. Thoroughly rooted in both Halifax’s indie and folk sensibilities, the album is at home anywhere and everywhere. It’s a polaroid of your favourite thrifted sweater from five years ago, and one that you’re gonna want to hold onto.