Everyone loves Dave House. Whether it be as part of The Steal, working at Banquet records or as his own solo project, there’s a lot of love for the man. He’s one of the few people you never, ever hear a bad word about. Being nice shouldn’t actually mean anything or get you anywhere, but there are so many rude bands out there that think just because they have a CD out you have a duty to write about them or say nice things. Being polite is definitely underrated. Anyway, the King of Kingston is back with his third solo album and in true DIY style has done everything himself, from production to performing to even mixing. It’s also going to be released in the UK on Banquet. How Dave’s found the time to do all of that in between The Steal and everything else that’s going on I do not know.
Anyway, ‘Intersections’ is a beauty of a record and probably my favourite Dave House record to date. It’s a bit more ‘full band’ and as a result comes across a bit more like The Weakerthans than ever before. This, my friends, is a good thing. ‘Runaground’ is an absolutely perfect, upbeat summer song that deserves to emulate the success Frank Turner is now having in the mainstream. First single ‘Lungs’ is also a really strong opening to the album.
The beauty of Dave’s music has always been his ability to tell a story and capture the mood. It was perhaps best illustrated on ‘Kingston’s Current’, but works very well again this time round. ‘Follow Me’ tells of his frustration with the music scene, while ‘Make An Example’ also pokes fun at the other bands around who try and take the easy route to success. “Now the punks are dressing up,” he sings, “they paint on their bruises and their cuts…it’s not for me, where is the honesty?” And that’s the thing, ‘Intersections’ is one of the most honest records you’ll hear all year.
It would take me a while to go through each song in detail, but that’s what this record deserves. ‘Born Steady’ is much more stripped down but still works really well. ‘Make An Example’ too is another foot-stomping, singalong-in-the-making. It’s another track that will seep into your head without realising and make you sing along. ‘Intersections’ is simply a great record. It’s catchy, clever and upbeat despite some of the downbeat lyrics. Fans of Death Cab, The Postal Service, The Weakerthans and plain old good music will jump for joy hearing this record. It’s brilliant.