Disq: Desperately Imagining Someplace Quiet [Album Review]

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Disq
Desperately Imagining Someplace Quiet
Saddle Creek Records [2022]

Can you imagine what it would have been like to release your debut record days before the forever changing pandemic lockdown? Well, that is exactly what happened to Madison, Wisconsin’s Disq as their debut, Collector (2020), was essentially released to silence. No touring and no real way to connect with an audience that needed to be built which is especially important to a new band.

Collector thrived with a very 90’s indie rock vibe and Disq’s sophomore album, Desperately Imagining Someplace Quiet, takes that familiar classic indie sound and expands it a bit with more loose song structures and diverse styles. Producer Matt Schuessler (the recording engineer of Collector) helped add this very lively feel to the album as each chorus pops and Disq hits quicker transitions within their compositions. A good example of this can be heard on “Prize Contest Life” as the lyrics sway and hum along in between as the beginning and end is full-on noise rock with exploding drums that almost blow your speakers. “The Hardest Part” is another track that has a soft vocal delivery for the lyrics before busting out into a big chorus like a classic Weezer song off the Blue album.

Overall, Desperately Imagining Someplace Quiet jumps genres and styles a little too quick to ever develop a true cohesion. This only detracts the listener some because when you isolate your listening experience to several tracks Disq shine. They deliver a very confident indie rock and honestly this record feels more transitional for what is next as the band grows from their debut. The development is evident which makes us look forward to where Disq goes next!

KEY TRACKS
“This Time” / “The Hardest Part” / “If Only”

ARTISTS WITH SIMILAR FIRE
2nd Grade / The Grays / The Lemonheads

DISQ REVIEW HISTORY
Collector (2020)

DISQ LINKS
Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Bandcamp | Saddle Creek Records

Thomas Wilde
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