Some people seemingly appear out of nowhere to knock you flat with their talent, and though
James Goodson
had previously played in a few good bands in his native Richmond, Virginia, and hosted an entertaining podcast about bands he likes, the release of his first single as
Dazy
, "Bright Lights" b/w "Accelerate," in August 2020 made nearly anyone listening wonder where he had been hiding. It was the product of one guy with a cheap home-recording setup, but the big, dirty guitars, booming drum machines, soaring melodies, abundant hooks, and savvy harmonies made it sound like
Guided by Voices
on steroids, only with a level of skill it took
Robert Pollard
and co. years to achieve, while
Goodson
got there on his first time out. A steady stream of digital singles and EPs (collected on 2021's
MAXIMUMBLASTSUPERLOUD: The First 24 Songs
) helped generate a steady buzz about
in the indie rock press, and as good as they were, the project's first proper album, 2022's
Outofbody
, is the payoff, a glorious exercise in melodic alt-rock that's abundantly tuneful but kicks hard, with enough cranked-to-ten guitar heroics to satisfy anyone without compromising
's abundant pop smarts. As on
's previous releases,
was recorded at his home, where he played and sang everything himself (
Justin Pizzoferrato
mixed the tracks), and this is cleaner and better organized than the earliest
material without spoiling the energy or spontaneous feel that was a big part of his formula.
still knows the value of a good blast of feedback and a concise but wailing solo (cue up "Asking Price" or "Choose Yr Ramone" if you have any doubt), but the acoustic bedroom pop of "Inside Voice," the power pop blast of "Split," and the yearning indie pop of "Rollercoaster Ride" show his range is growing, and he hasn't discovered a weak spot just yet (or at least not one he's willing to show). Running through 12 songs in 26 minutes,
isn't an epic musical statement, but there isn't a false move or misstep to be found, and it's a potent dose of sweet and satisfying rock action that's one of the most thoroughly enjoyable debut albums of 2022. If
have another LP this good in them, they're going to be heroes sooner than later. ~ Mark Deming