Harmonies to the fore in Boston eight-piece’s swift sophomore album.
You would have to be of a certain vintage to recognise where Boston-based Other Brother Darryl may have garnered their moniker. If it means nothing, it means you clearly weren’t of an age to have either been aware of or old enough to have appreciated the comic genius that was Bob Newhart. Anyway. 1980s sitcom. Look it up. Band name aside, this eight-piece indie group have wasted no time in releasing their second album, Hey Yeah Hey, coming just a year or so after their very well-received debut, Roll Shine Roll.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to hear that a band comprising eight band members is big on harmonies. With music variously described as indie americana, alt-country, jangle-pop, classic rock and psych, it is those harmonies that link it all together, and it isn’t hard to see why there have been nods in the direction of the likes of The Byrds, Eagles and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
Waiting On A Stranger was the first song recorded for the album and puts to bed any notion that these may be misguided or fanciful comparisons. It is a gorgeous track that puts those harmony vocals firmly front and centre. The vocals are cocooned in a dreamlike soundtrack, with lyrics centred around our desire for human connection as we go about our day and watch the world go by. Co-founder Dave Mirabella died unexpectedly in 2022, and it is clear that the band’s desire to keep his spirit at the heart of their art is fully realised in tracks such as this.
That jangly pop reference comes to the fore on Take It with You, a marvellously melodic and infectious track that asks us to recognise the fact that we’re shaped by our past and that all of the experiences in our life, both good and bad, are what make us who we are. The track has a joyous and uplifting feel to it entirely in keeping with its message: live in the now, but know that you’re here because of your past.
In a world of digital downloads and the cherry picking of songs, it is wonderful to hear co-vocalist, lyricist, harmonica player, and percussionist Dan Nicklin state his wishes for the album. “I view this record as a body of work – it’s a car-ride record and should be listened to front to back. So I look forward to folks being able to do that, because I always appreciate when they resonate with the tunes. The songs come from a personal place, so when they resonate and create vibes others can find something in, I am humbled. It’s a snapshot of life written for myself and the brothers that reflects the world in the moment they were created.”
That wish for the album to be heard in its entirety clearly influenced the title track, which, during the recording process, developed organically into three parts: the opening Prelude, the Reprise in the middle of the track list, and the closing Finale,with each a short, droning, hypnotic allure that helps give the album its overall cadence.
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