I can’t actually remember how long The Dollyrots have been on the scene but I am sure that has been since more than just last Tuesday with their album “Night Owls” sounding like the product of a band that knows what a good time sounds like.
Some might say that “Night Owls” is just another musical cuddle in the retro comfort blanket and, in sonic terms at least, some might well be right. The songs on this album could indeed easily be the soundtrack to any movie celebrating the mall culture of yesteryear yet style is what style always is and the presentation does not detract in the least from the singalong nature of all these songs and it is, without a doubt, an uplifting thing with the urge to wear bright colours and smile being a most notable side effect to exposure to the music of the Dollyrots. Kudos to the band as well for throwing in an ironic and energetic cover of “New England”.
So, if a trip back to the nineties sounds like a plan then you won’t go far wrong putting a copy of “Night Owls” into the cassette player and driving all the way into town with the top down. Fun, fun, fun (at least until some crypto fascist takes the shopping mall away…)
Best song: the manically energetic “Sickness & Fun”
Verdict: A blast back into the past.