Dave Hause – Devour

  • Dustin Blumhagen posted
  • Reviews

Dave Hause

Devour - Rise Records

Former Loved Ones’ vocalist Dave Hause returns with the follow up to his wonderful debut. Like most of the best art, Hause channels the darkness in his life and releases it like a demon being purged from his soul. The demise of his band, which was arguably at the top of its game added to the pain that comes with the dissolution of a marriage, makes for some heavy lyrics. Like Dan “Soupy” Campbell, Hause is crafting songs that appeal lyrically to a more adult crowd, with lots of introspection and study of the difficulty of transition into your 30s. Add in the reflection on his Christian upbringing and Devour stands out as one of the great lyrical achievements of the year. 

The album starts off with Damascus, a solid tune reminiscent of his past solo releases. It kicks into gear with the trilogy of The Great Depression, We Could Be Kings and Autism Vaccine Blues.Contemporaries like The Menzingers and Frank Turner are brought to mind here. These are well written songs that tell stories and appeal to listeners emotions. These are tales of real life, warts and all. These are not feel good songs about partying and living in excess, there is no dubstep backbeat; these are well written songs about feelings. The Great Depression examines growing up in a blue collar family, with the forces of religion and the economy weighing on a young life. We Could Be Kings continues the story, with plenty of hooks and a vaguely 80s Springsteen influence. A driving beat and piano complement the song, which despite the sadness of the lyrics moves along with a rock and roll rhythm. The lyrics look at the hardships that come with growing up, broken hearts, the pressure of making money and the sorrow that death brings. While Against Me! continue to release great music, those who place a high importance on lyrical content may find Autism Vaccine Blues more relatable than LJG’s Transgender Dysphoria Blues (although it is undeniably an important statement for her to make). Those who grew up in working class homes, who struggled through school, who felt the weight of the world pushing back as they walked through their youth will relate to this song. Again, the dark cloud of religion hovers over the song. This isn’t outspoken in a Propagandhi sort of way, more an uncomfortable discussion of the effects of a huge part of an adult’s youth. It is more reminiscent of the The Riot Before’s Words Written Over Coffee than Hallie Does Hebron. Singing along to despair at the top of your lungs never felt so right. 

While those three songs are worthy of a release all their own, Hause managed to create an album void of filler. He opens his heart and bleeds on the page, letting lose all of his demons through his music. Same Disease has a musical swagger, while Benediction offers a sparse, quiet moment. On BeforeHause exudes sadness; his sorrow is aimed at a lost love and an absent God, the emotion in his almost breaking voice appealing to a vacant room. The 90s alt rock of Third Eye Blind comes to mind when listening to the nostalgic love song Father’s Son, a welcome reprieve from the emotion of Before.  Fans of the upbeat music of Loved Ones will welcome Stockholm Syndrome and The Shine. The common themes throughout the album are love and religion, both of which are examined in Becoming Secular, a sparse song that emphasizes the vocals. Bricks is a slow sad song about a failed relationship. 

While the overall tone of the album leans toward the melancholy, it doesn’t come across like a whiny emo album. These songs exhibit a maturity that is increasingly rare in music these days. These are songs for thirty something fathers who have lived through failed marriages, struggled with the faith in which they were raised and are disillusioned with working to make ends meet. Dave Hause has crafted a wonderful album that showcases an evolving musical style and a consistently increasing ability to create high quality lyrics. Everything is laid right out on the table for the whole world to feel, which is a brave move on his part. Like any art, the greatest satisfaction comes from knowing that there is someone out there who feels the exact same way that you do.