If, ten years ago, it was difficult to see that The War On Drugs were on course to be a staple of the global arena circuit then equally for it’s bass player Dave Hartley that outcome giving him the space for a longstanding solo career would’ve been equally far fetched.
Around about the time Adam Granduciel was giving thought to the material which became I Don’t Live Here Anymore, Hartley had recloated from the band’s spiritual home of Philadelphia to Asheville, an artistically liberal enclave in the otherwise conservative state of North Carolina.
Having built a home studio, lockdown and America’s increasingly skewed meta were the inspiration for his latest release – Stare Into The Sun is a direct rebuke to the then president Trump – but this is where the anger ends. Musically instead Moonshine traverses points of reference between yacht rock, Currents-era Tame Impala and Washed Out’s blissful chillwave. It’s a contrast that will take some time getting your head around, but after the next few gigs are done it might be a while until Dave Hartley’s day job is up and running again, so you’ve got some time.
You can read a full review here.
The Voice Of Unreason 