When the Detroit duo of Joshua Epstein and Daniel Zott released their first effort, It’s A Corporate World (QRO review), they were highly lauded for their melodies, harmonies and sweet-lyrical approach to modern new wave.
The Speed of Things begins with “Beautiful Dream” that, like its predecessor, has a twinkling opening and established melody that later reappears in the middle of the album in an interlude/reprise. Making no pretense that this is supposed to be a poppy endeavor is the first single of “If You Didn’t See Me (Then You Weren’t on the Dancefloor)”, whose opening lyrics explicitly let you know “You’re supposed to surrender to the bass.” With much of the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. sound reliant upon many elements mashed-up to provide depth, “I Can’t Help It” provides a slight reprieve from that formula with the softest moments coming from its opening light acoustic strums. Tracks like “Gloria” and “Mesopotamia” highlight their percussive strengths and throw in some complex rhythms to liven things up. The aforementioned strums reappear in the more up-tempo “Don’t Tell Me”. And jumping on the disco bandwagon is “War Zone”, which feels like the type of track Pharell would have done guest vocals on this year.
With the pressure of a strong follow-up performance on them, The Speed of Things doesn’t disappoint. It doesn’t revolutionize their sound either, but rather serves as proof on how great a band can be by being consistent. This is all to say that Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. is actually quite fun. When you listen to this sophomore outing follow their advice: surrender to the bass.
-Gabe Hernandez
