Shut the front door! Here I am making the rounds in North Carolina to visit family and I am suddenly afforded the pleasure of reviewing Here Comes The Post New Wave. This is a fresh new album from Dai Cheri, an alt-electro pop band hailing from Winston Salem, North Carolina. I literally just drove through there today. I'll admit, when I come out this way I have very little time to take in the local music scene, but this sound in particular is wildly unexpected. Winston Salem is beautiful, lush greenery everywhere you look, charming old southern houses, mouth watering comfort food. Somehow, out of this backdrop I get this album dripping with heavy synth and drama.
Now obviously you will have heard synth samples of this kind before, but the man behind Dai Cheri, Eric Haynes Swaim, knows how to accessorize. He has strong skills in terms of composition; he's a mood builder unafraid of lavish layering. Often you'll find some of his percussive elements border on something that resembles jungle. Lots of unexpected surprises in the samples. Every synth sound is distinctive and almost used like auxiliary voices. These synth sounds were hand picked, plucked with purpose and wielded in expert fashion. Let's not forget the drama aspect of this album that I mentioned earlier. The drama is all is Swaim's pen. These are pointy, cheeky, mischievous lyrics. I can relate to these lyrics so deeply. Swaim has a ripe sense of humor and irony tucked away in here as well. There is a lot of fun factor. There is also a lot of living breathing performance energy popping out from Swaim and his vocal work. This didn't come as a shock considering he has fronted many bands in his past. Even through such a heavily electronic album, his performance shines through. It seems to be like second nature to him. The performance style is effortless, never contrived. There is something so decadent about the production on this album. Swaim handled the recording and mixing himself and reached outward for mastering. I can't stress enough the glossy level polish this album is coated with. He took the time to examine every detail with a magnifying glass and make sure all of his fabulous textures and tones are heard AND acknowledged. The production alone presents a sort of elevated attitude. This album is very focused on what feels like a very specific channel in Swaim's mind. I love the level of cohesion on this album. There are lots of flavors and moods at work here but they all complement one another. Nothing is out of place. As an artist Swaim is just so expressive and thought provoking. I'd put some money on this race horse. I think there is so much more to come, and a bigger audience will inevitably find him. Check out Here Comes The Post New Wave when you need to listen to someone who knows what they're talking about and whose confidence is contagious.
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