reviews_Daylight_Jar_400

Daylight - Jar

Daylight

Jar

Considering that up until recent history, Doylestown, Pennsylvania’s musical claim to fame was pop bad-girl Pink and Afro-sporting Stevie Wonder knockoff Justin Guarini (that guy who almost beat Kelly Clarkson on American Idol), it’s pretty incredible that these days sonic innovators Circa Survive and Balance And Composure both call D-Town home. And now, with Jar, their first proper full-length, fellow native sons Daylight have also cemented a spot on that highly auspicious list.

After a string of EPs throughout the past six years, Daylight’s debut LP makes good on all the hype that’s surrounded the band of late, with 12 tracks produced by Will Yip (Title Fight, Man Overboard) that push the recording’s boundaries past any sense of genre one might apply. In terms of aesthetic (rather than specific tone), it reminds of the grungy, ’90s-inspired post-hardcore of Pennsylvania brethren Title Fight’s 2012 stunner Floral Green, or Colourmeinkindness by labelmates Basement; similar to those albums, Jar fuses a wide range of influences from Nirvana and Foo Fighters to Cave In and Seaweed into a seamless, spatial organic mush, for a thrillingly unpredictable and compelling listen.

Lyrically, Jar is fairly bleak, with vocalists/guitarists Jake Clarke and Taylor Madison dwelling on themes of betrayal, loss, heartbreak, alienation and regret. The despair in the vocals complements the weight of the music, with just enough melodic hookiness in places (especially “Outside Of Me,” “Sheltered” and “Knew”) to keep you engaged, balanced with some truly epic tangents (see closer “Around The Railing”). Six years in with Jar, Daylight have finally broken.

Run For Cover http://www.runforcoverrecords.com

“Outside Of Me”