Dark Romance Of A Midnight Wanderer
Snappy Little Fingers, 2021
10/10
Dark Romance Of A Midnight Wanderer
A one man band from Chicago, as The Christmas Bride Davey Hart shows an affinity for New Wave, power pop and the early days of punk, and the 3 years he spent fleshing out this mature and energetic album will be appreciated by anyone whose interests revolve around the best days of Epitaph or Fat Wreck Chords.
“My Shadow Bracelets” starts the listen with a swift punk energy, where the singing is somewhat yelped yet tuneful, and the music resides in firm pop-punk territory, and “Christian Ska” follows with driving guitars and speedy drums as plenty of gritty melody unfolds across the sing-alongs.
There’s 14 tunes present, and each one is fantastic. The middle tracks are among the best, and include the garage rock spirited “Embarrassing Sexual Moments”, as well as ultra harmonic, timeless punk rock of “(Obsessed With A) Love-Type Thing”. The title track then brings some ambience into a charged and more firm climate that eventually settles into a rowdy version of pop-punk.
Later on, “Unforcertain Future” is a flawless, scrappy tune that sounds like it could have been penned in the ‘80s, and “In Search Of A Decent Overworld Theme” exits the listen with thumping drums, blistering guitar work and barked vocals that illustrate some hardcore roots.
Hart takes help from Pasha Pear (The Crustations), Phil Sudderberg (Spirits Having Fun), Angel Marcloid (Nonlocal Forecast) and Bret Koontz (Cool Memories), and their collective strengths make Dark Romance Of A Midnight Wanderer one of the best listens of 2021.
Travels well with: State Drugs- Live. Laugh. Love; Jiffy Marx- She’s My Witch/Warning Sign 7”