A band that has been making some serious noise in the music world has recently recently released their sixth studio album.
Dirty Heads are known for their feel-good-sound, which is sort of a common ground between reggae, hip hop and alternative rock.
To anyone familiar with these guys, it is no secret that the newest album titled “Swim Team” has a totally different sound compared to what the band is most commonly known for.
Needless to say, the band’s most recent work has left fans in a heavy debate.
The theme of the latest album relates to dealing with fame. Being on the road so much, the band members have found themselves missing out on so many important events back at home.
They are doing what they love as well as making money— as they explain in their song “Vacation“— but also it must be extremely hard on them, missing their family’s birthdays and weddings on a consistent basis.
One fan defended the band up against some of the criticism they have been receiving.
James Robinson III, junior finance major, said, “I like the versatility the boys showed on ‘Swim Team.’ They are really trying to branch out on this one, which is something most fans don’t want them to do, but I stand by them.”
Contrary to Robinson’s remarks, there are a lot of fans out there who just wanted another classic album.
Jake Klein, sophomore education major, said via text message, “The album wasn’t terrible, but I just really wasn’t expecting this change up from them. I was hoping for that classic Dirty Heads feel like their old stuff.”
The band did throw some of their traditional-feeling songs on the album, such as: “Vacation,” “Celebrate” and “So Glad You Made It.”
Many fans would agree that despite the different sound that the band may be striving for, they don’t lose the sense of the freedom and positivity that the Dirty Heads have been providing for years.
Victoria Marchiani, senior education major, had an interesting angle on the band’s progress to this point. She said the music still conveys the passion of the band’s two lead vocalists, Jared Watson and Dustin Bushnell .
“The songwriting skills are still there,” Marchiani said. “Even with the different twist that this album has from a production standpoint, the lyrics and passion still remains with Jared and Dustin.”
