Wearing Out The Refrain, the third album from Washington, D.C. quartet Bad Moves, has me bouncing off the walls. This band, and this record in particular, radiates nothing but good vibes. Part of it comes from their relentlessly upbeat and catchy tunes, but what really pushes it over the edge is the vocals. I’m no statistician, but I’d bet 95% of the vocals are group efforts—not the shouty, angry kind, but the joyful, sing-along-with-your-friends variety. It’s the kind of sound that makes you want to join in, whether you’re in the crowd or just dancing in your room.
Bad Moves seems to have set out to remind us how much fun music can be. On bad days, I’m going to keep coming back to Hallelujah, a life-affirming track that picks up steam with every new verse and chorus. The band delivers indie punk at its poppiest, but with ambition — A Lapse In The Emptiness, for example, could easily sit among The New Pornographers’ best work. Throughout the record, Bad Moves skilfully turn their short songs into well-rounded gems and make their longer tracks feel concise and punchy.
Lyrically, Wearing Out The Refrain offers depth as well. Beneath the poppy surface, the album tackles existential dread and frustration in ways that resonate without losing that sense of fun. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Wearing Out The Refrain, aka the next record I’m going to buy, is an extremely rewarding and highly enjoyable record. It out now on Don Giovanni Records.