“The weight of the world is too much for me to hold.”
Dayseeker are one of the biggest names in the core scene, and for good reason; through four studio albums, they have reliably produced quality song after quality song, each overflowing with passionate and tugging at the heartstrings in different manners. With Dark Sun, their sound takes a significant turn to the pop world yet continues to hit all the right notes and never loses that honest and vulnerable quality that makes Dayseeker so impressive.
Frontman and lyricist Rory Rodriguez is one of the best all-around vocalists in the metalcore scene, which already gives this record an advantage, but it is so much more than that. Produced by Dan Braunstein, the record utilises space and atmosphere flawlessly – not in the dark and broody way of contemporaries like Currents or Invent Animate, but spacey and soothing. Alongside Rodriguez’s beautiful clean vocals, the real highlight of the album is the multifarious synthwork, providing a guiding light for listeners to latch onto as the songs traverse the beautiful melodies of an admittedly formulaic song structure.
The opening trilogy of singles, “Dreamstate”, “Neon Grave”, and “Without Me”, serve as a competent segue between the post-hardcore sound the band explored on Sleeptalk and the poppier trappings of Dark Sun. The heaviest songs on the album, the downtuned guitars are juxtaposed by the colourful synths that permeate the entire record. “Without Me” sports one of the most captivating hooks of the year in the form of “how do you feel the same without me? / how do you feel the same when I don’t sleep?”
Moving on from the intoxicating key-synth breakdown in “Without Me”, “Homesick” is where the album really begins to dive into its slower, warmer, neon heart, swapping the chunky rhythms and moody vibe for gentle synths and a shimmery soundscape befitting the album’s artwork, all whilst maintaining the band’s character. Unlike many artists who have softened their sound, Dayseeker’s evolution feels completely authentic. Mid-album cut “Midnight Eternal” is an elegant track which took some time to grow on me due to its relative minimalism, but the space offered by the lack of guitarwork allows the production to really shine; the 808s pop and the crisp snares run in a pattern that sums up the record as a whole: hypnotic.
Though ingrained in the same synth-pop soundscape, the title track, “Dark Sun”, injects some timely energy into the record, providing an incredibly dancey, infectious song replete with glorious falsettos and a very standout key-synth melody. The track effuses energy from the very first note, and immaculate production keeps the droning ambience and aggressive EDM-esque drumming from overpowering the gentle vocals.
“Quicksand” slows the tempo once again, swapping the neon keys for more organic piano keys. Spencer Stewart of The Band Camino offers a verse which complements the track’s more naturalistic tone perfectly, offering a deeper yet still smooth contrast to Rodriguez’s higher cleans. “Paper Heart” is one of the most heartwrenching songs of an already tempestuous discography, a twinkly ballad which showcases Rodriguez’ lyricism. Whilst other tracks dress up melancholic topics with glossy melodies, “Paper Heart” is intimate and vulnerable, and for me stands as Dark Sun’s undeniable tearjerker. It will undoubtedly make for a fantastic acoustic rendition in future.
“So don’t turn around if you can’t bear to see
The rain that can fall when I’m buried beneath.
I’m not made of stone, and I’m not a machine,
The weight of the world is too much for me to hold.
My paper heart will fold.”
Late tracks “Crying While You’re Dancing” and “Afterglow (Hazel’s Song)” retain an essence of the intricate instrumentation that some may find absent from the album as a whole, with the former revelling in a sanguine guitar solo and the latter the sonic culmination of Dark Sun – layers of keys, synths, and crisp percussion accentuated by hints of a distorted guitar lead in the latter half. Perhaps the most complete song, with something for everyone, “Afterglow” culminates on a distortion-wrapped plea which caps the record off perfectly; loosely, the album tells the recent difficulties in the vocalist’s life, beginning with the death of his father and concluding on a high note with the birth of his daughter, Hazel.
Dark Sun completes the transition from guitar-driven metalcore anthems to synthy, soft ballads that Dayseeker began with 2019’s Sleeptalk. It is the ultimate convergence of Sleeptalk-era Dayseeker and Hurtwave (the synthwave side-project of vocalist Rory Rodriguez and drummer Mike Karle), maintaining the guitars and live drums of the former but dressed in a synth-pop veil à la The Midnight. There are scatterings of post-hardcore moments throughout, but for the most part it is an unabashed pop record with immaculate vibes, falsettos, and a gorgeous interplay of keys and synths.
Though a substantial proportion of Dark Sun deals with heavy and intensely personal subject matter in the form of the passing of Rodriguez’ father, the way it is presented vocally and wrapped up in a blanket of chromatic instrumentation makes it comforting and uplifting, oozing with a delicate warmth. It doesn’t quite have the weight of Sleeptalk but is overall a wonderful and vibey experience. Certainly, a more aggressive and energetic song later in the tracklist could’ve been nice to break up the pace of the album, but the melding of gentle, melodic vocals and instrumentation leaves Dark Sun feeling undeniably pretty.
Dark Sun will be available this Friday, November 4th, via Spinefarm Records, and you can pre-order it here.
8.5/10