This is album number eight for these Southern California kings of the retro groove. I think Rival Sons and The Black Keys are the trailblazers, because they have their own sound. You can listen to all the other retro bands around at the minute and they all sound very similar.
I love it when the band dive deep into that heavy R’n’B vibe, and Nobody Wants To Die does just that. It’s an absolute monster of a tune and is my favourite on the album. Bird In The Hand goes further back with some heavy psych pop grooves, and that melody vocal line is so cool. Bright Lights roots are firmly in the blues, but there is so much more going on here. Jay Buchanan’s vocals are just superb, with a hint of gospel in there. Rival Sons are a band that cross genres and there is a great mix of music lovers at their shows, and you can see why when you listen to Darkside. It’s got a singer songwriter vibe, mixed with their natural groovy goodness, and is just irresistible.
They are truly a one off band .
9/10 from The Grooveman.
