California X - Nights in the Dark

  by Paul Waller

published: 22 / 2 / 2015

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Review

There is no getting over this. What the hell is going on with this front cover? From what I can see the Massachusetts guitar heathens asked one of their children to draw a castle on a hilltop with a knight in the foreground and with that simple instruction they set them to work. The unrefined result is on the front cover forever more. And you know what? It kind of suits this childish, playful and summery vibe the band have going on. The band’s self-titled debut in 2013 was a seriously incredible album, maybe my favourite of that year. Those that bore witness to the live shows that accompanied the release also found themselves in the company of greatness, and yet this follow-up disc feels a little bit of a let-down to these ears… but then again how on earth could they better what had gone before? The pop suss that was previously displayed is still present, seeping through the speakers in a blissful punked-up and fuzzy fashion and the production seems to be cut and pasted directly from that killer debut. The likes of ‘Hadley, MA’ and ‘Red Planet’ show little or no development from what’s gone before, yet they are stand out tracks. I’m not sure what I was hoping for, but I must admit to being a little surprised that the band are already stuck in a groove, no matter how good that groove is. We already have Bad Religion and we already have an AC/DC. I want more from the likes of California X.

Track Listing:-

1 Nights in the Dark
2 Red Planet
3 Ayla's Song
4 Hadley, MA
5 Blackrazor, Pt. 1
6 Blackrazor, Pt. 2
7 Garlic Road
8 Summer Wall, Pt. 1
9 Summer Wall, Pt. 2

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Califor
https://twitter.com/californx

Label Links:-

http://dongiovannirecords.com/
https://twitter.com/dongiovannirecs
https://www.facebook.com/dongiovannire
https://www.youtube.com/user/DonGiovan
https://instagram.com/dongiovannirecor
http://dongiovannirecords.tumblr.com/