This album is everything. Yep, we said it. If you, like us, love to be completely blown away by an artist or album with no preconceived notions going in then we think Loons by Dwelley is THE debut record you need to check out in 2025. Formed by four childhood friends around the MA music scene in 2022 as the world was starting to re-emerge from the pandemic, Dwelley collect a potpourri of styles on Loons that are timeless, undeniably infectious, and utterly endearing.
As we mentioned in our 2025 local preview (Read that novel here), the involvement of Deafheaven/Summoner’s Chris Johnson (Deafheaven at Paradise on May 13th! Summoner sooner at Worshipper’s 10th Anniversary shebang with Roadsaw at Widowmaker on February 22nd!) initially led us to check out Dwelley and we’re so glad we did. But if you’re doing the same then buyer beware that this is not anywhere near the stratosphere of either of those other two outfits. Which suits us just fine!
“Skate and Smoke” starts it all off with just VIBES and a musicianship/kinship that’s ever present from the first note strummed, hit, plucked, and sung. The term “timeless” is going to come up quite a bit here because the stuff that Dwelley creates really is with their sound rooted deep in ’90’s Alternative but also with modern takes similar to Turnover’s Peripheral Vision or SPICE’s debut and regarding “Skate and Smoke”, it’s crunchy yet cathartic and listening through it is like the starting the soundtrack to the greatest ’90’s movie yet to be made.
“Crowbar” is slow moving and somber sounding to add to Dwelley’s burgeoning sonic spectrum while “Negligee” is peak Alterna-perfection with the steady rhythmic rundown from Johnson and drummer Jeff King on a track that’s like Toadies and Cake teaming up for a super band but during the era of Possum Kingdom and Fashion Nugget but with that “Boston sound” inhabiting all. Confused yet? Trust us, you won’t be once you get to hear it! Jordan Hislop and Paul Vaitkus’ guitar work fuels the Grunge-y “Push It” with hypnotic vocals at its’ smooshy center with “Stone Heads” surprisingly adding a little Post-Hardcore into the mix (Handsome and Quicksand especially) before settling into this truly unique and wondrous amalgamation of styles.
“Capey” is all about moods and melody on this lush ditty that, hear us out, kind of channels Jimmie’s Chicken Shack?!?! First off, JCS rules. Second, if you heard the masterpiece that is …Pushing The Salmanilla Envelope then we’re sure you’d agree. And third, there’s no better band to encapsulate the underground Alternative sound of the ’90’s than Jimi Haha and his band of merry musicians. Which, if we were to sum it all up, is similar to Dwelley’s wheelhouse.
Okay then! Next up “Soft Moments” envelopes that above rant until it doesn’t and is another song on here that just inhabits this certain space and time but doesn’t providing these tantalizing timeless tones that you swear you’ve heard before… except you haven’t. “What a Waste” wraps up Loons in much the way that it began with a subtle start that builds to a fabulous chorus and leaves any first time listeners as fans for life and Dwelley regulars setting the bar even higher for next time.
Loons drops on February 14th. Pre-orders are up now by heading here or to the stream below and then you can go here for more from Dwelley including info on upcoming shows like the one happening on February 15th at Electric Haze in Worcester celebrating Rainy Maple Sugar Candy’s 40th birthday which also features performances from Cheap City, Nicholas Burgess and, of course, Rainy and Sapling or the record release show at O’Brien’s on March 1st with Zip-Tie Handcuffs, Clifford, and Little Miss Echo (Direct links for those can be found here and here).