Lake Street Dive Updates Their Sound with New Album “Obviously”
Since they came together at the New England Conservatory of Music over a decade ago, Lake Street Dive has been difficult to pin down. The five highly skilled musicians have consistently showcased the sheer power of instrumentals and vocals. An amalgam of Southern rock, R&B, indie and jazz, the band’s sixth album, Obviously, maintains their classic sound, albeit with a few new elements.
The record kicks off with “Hypotheticals,” which quickly went viral on TikTok thanks to its catchy hook and the dance the members created to go with it. One listen to the song is enough to get it stuck in your head for a week, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing because “Hypotheticals” does one of the things Lake Street Dive does best, which is make you feel good. The same can be said for “Same Old News,” on which lead vocalist Rachael Price duets with the band’s newest member, keyboardist Akie Bermiss. Their voices complement each other over a smooth and sultry melody, creating a standout on the album and the kind of undeniably fun, relentlessly listenable music we’ve come to expect from Lake Street Dive.
Elsewhere on the project, a shift in theme and tone becomes clear. “Hush Money” tackles electoral corruption and somehow manages to sound exactly like its central theme. “Being A Woman” expresses the everyday frustrations of life in a patriarchal world over a softly assertive contribution from bassist Bridget Kearney. “Making Do” is both an apology to the next generation and a stab at the question of whether it’s ethical to have children at all. It’s the most political Lake Street Dive has ever gotten in an album, but their usual emotion and empathy still ring through, especially when we hear Price ask:
“What do I say to my baby girl / leaving her with half a world / that we coulda done a lot?”
Image from The Virginia Pilot // Pilotonline.com
Another notable change comes from the production of Obviously. On previous albums, Lake Street Dive made use of modern production techniques and technology very sparingly. They relied almost exclusively on their respective instruments: usually an upright bass, guitar, trumpet, keyboard, drum set and Price’s astonishing voice. When I first heard their music, I couldn’t place what was so striking about it, but it was this: they were able to create something that sounded so perfect out of seemingly so little. Their songs had an intoxicating dynamism because they didn’t sound constructed, they sounded like Lake Street Dive playing the hell out of their instruments together, like one well-oiled, classically trained machine.
Lake Street Dive will always be great, but it was this authenticity that made them exceptional. On Obviously, it’s immediately noticeable that more production went into the making of each track. The band has been together for a long time, so it would make sense if they felt they needed to start doing something different. It’s possible, though, that in doing so they’ve sacrificed the quality that makes their earlier songs impossible not to turn up.
Still, none of this has stopped Lake Street Dive from ascending to emotional pinnacles akin to their earlier music. “Nobody’s Stopping You Now” is an epic ballad of self-expression that builds to a chilling, powerful chorus. “Anymore,” which features more electronic production than any other song on the album, creates a subtle sense of heartbreak that could easily soundtrack a slow dance scene in a movie. The closing track, “Sarah,” is entirely a cappella, showcasing the vocal talents of each member and the intensity that vocals alone can produce. “Obviously” may not have matched the wild energy of previous albums, but it is still a fun, eclectic entry from a formidable and truly unique group.