Darling New Neighbors

Hailing from Austin, Texas, Darling New Neighbors play indie rock with tinges of country that strays into universal pop and traces of folk. Darlings of the southern underground, Every Day is Saturday Night is their debut full-length. Filled with indie rockers, folk-ballads, and eclectic pop tones, it is tied together through stylistic shifts and lyrics of love gone wrong, which attach the album even more to its country influences.

"Overgrown" eases the listener gently into the album that develops well through "Seven," a Mission Impossible theme influenced pop song, before the pointlessness of "La La." Followed by "The Best You Can Do," akin to a more rustic Belle & Sebastian and easily the highlight of the album, the good work carries itself through the mid-section. "Jesus" plays through upbeat brass band rock and finally finds its way into "Puppies," a toned down, male fronted folk song. It is only with "Grocery," a song that falls into some inane generics and vocalist Elizabeth Jackson's voice going awry, that the tail-end of Every Day is Saturday Night comes up lacking.

Sounding like early Belle & Sebastian with all the rough edges left on, Every Day is Saturday Night keeps itself together well. Staying cohesive enough to remain a complete work, it varies from downbeat genius and classic modern pop to songs that sound just too much like Belle & Sebastian, Sons and Daughters, and all those other bands that fuse together rock, folk, and country.

Leaving memorable songs and excellent groundwork, Darling New Neighbors have a tendency to drift into blind alleys that never really go anywhere. Not damaging enough to be the lasting impression of Every Day is Saturday Night, they are, nonetheless, a stark reminder that the twelve songs (including two recorded live) take one stop too far.

7.5 / 10 — Neil F.