brendan williams debuts for pop-break…
Diluvia, the sophomore album from Freelance Whales, was released on October 9, 2012 by Mom + Pop Records and features 11 masterfully crafted indie pop and folk songs. In case you missed it, Pop-Break’s own Brent Johnson interviewed drummer Jake Hyman back in June.
When asked about Diluvia, Hyman stated that “there are a lot of grandiose moments where songs start very humbly and then build to these big crescendos that is a consequence of the fact that there are five of us kind of building together.”
“Aeolus” is the opening track, which in my opinion is the perfect place for such a humble sounding song. All of the elements of a Freelance Whales song come into play from melodic backing vocals, Judah Dadone’s lead vocals, intricate drum beats, and of course, the xylophone. It’s a nice lead into the rest of the album and tracks like “Locked Out” (the album’s single which is available for free after signing up for their mailing list) and “Dig Into Waves.” I think one of my favorite songs on the album is The Nothing because of its drum beat alone during the verses. Another catchy track to point out is “Spitting Image.” This track is the first time Doris Cellar gets to take charge of lead vocals and she really does a great job in my opinion.
Weathervanes will remain one of my favorite albums of all-time, but Diluvia is a close second. While nothing stands out to me as much as the banjo part of Generator First Floor (the opening track on Weathervanes), Diluvia certainly has a lot of those familiar catchy Freelance sounds.
Diluvia is available on iTunes and on the Freelance Whales website as well. If you’re in the tri-state area, the band is playing at Maxwell’s in Hoboken on January 15, 2012. Tickets are $15 and are available here. For more concert locations and music be sure to check out freelancewhales.com.
