Dave Hause – known best for his efforts with The Loved Ones – has been working hard on his solo career in recent years, and ‘Devour’ sees those effort reaching maturity.
There’s little doubt ‘Devour’ draws on “all American rock and roll” in a way that fans of The Gaslight Anthem will identify with immediately, but Hause has a timbre to his voice that arguably suits the style better (‘The Great Depression’) and the comparison should end somewhere around their respective influences meet. Hause has a knack for telling a story, and each song feels lifted straight from his heart (‘We Could Be Kings’). The word “authentic” will probably be thrown at the album often by critics, and it’s hard to really argue against that – the details in the production are immaculate, and coupled with a rawness in the delivery that leaves Hause’s emotions and talents exposed, there’s very little to fault here.
Sure, it’s not going to please everyone – those expecting The Loved Ones or a punk rock record may not find what they’re looking for – but the songwriting is fantastic. Hause has done a fantastic job on the record, with songs like ‘Damascus’ and ‘Same Disease’ being highlights on an album that would sound perfect blasting driving down some 18 lane American Highway in a top down Cadillac (for the sake of our reality, it’ll probably sound good on the A3 from the door speakers in a Ford hatchback too).
Dave Hause has hit the sweet spot with ‘Devour’, and anyone into the crossing points of punk, rock and acoustic music will find a stack of things to love about the record.
TOM AYLOTT