Local Review: Daytime Lover – Shimmer

Daytime Lover
Shimmer
Sunspell Records
Street: 05.03
Daytime Lover = Snail Mail + The Marías / Art Pepper 

It’s the genesis of May, the sky is bright and the grass is lush. You stand amongst the heat waves and crowds of people, it’s high noon so the sun sits right above your head. With electrifying exhibitions of craft and art-rock ascendancy, the band on stage in front of you manifests an atmosphere as warm and gentle as the meteorological conditions. The independent pop group Daytime Lover takes you into the Utah live scene whether you’re in your backyard with friends or at a coffee shop alone. The café lights wrapped around architectural structures twinkle as you swirl a cup of whatever, the waltz of the three-quarter time signature whispers that everything is just fine. Wherever the shadows catch reflections and the light and dark meet, there’s glitter. It’s the disco ball starting the party, the dress only worn at New Year’s. The end of a season invites a new one to take its place but the artifacts will still glisten softly in a dim closet.
What do they see and how do they feel? 

The EP Shimmer will be released on the third of May, ringing in upcoming midsummer eves filled with lightning bugs and shooting stars. As alluring as the hazy back room lit up by a wine-colored glow, Daytime Lover’s essence entices audiences to open the door. Moriah Glazier’s vocals create a timbre somewhere between a depression-era songstress and a post-disco girl band member from the early eighties. Her voice refuses to disappoint. Nora Price projects phosphorescent power while wielding her bass. The strings on the guitar of Emma Roberts are textured with the delicacy of the breezy sound produced. The cohesive band is completed by their opportune drummer, Caine Wenner. The saxophone interpreted by David Payne elevates the lovely, dreamy piece to even higher creative summits. The mood is mellow and the tempo is nothing short of transcendental. This group of maestros altogether forms a celestial body of music. An asteroid that burns bright amongst the engulfing wave of darkness that excites our people to play, praise, and perform. 

Initiating with a glint, the opening song titled after the EP “Shimmer,” ignites a story of an old flame. Moreso about the role one fits into so they can be near their person of interest. Laced with regret and blind romanticism, the lyrics chronicle what happens after the shattered glass hits the floor. All that’s left is a broken mirror and a responsibility to mourn the version of self that shined in a specific way. Continuing with the notion of missing the past, “More Feelin” weeps for a second try. The pace flutters back and forth, quick and slow throughout the track, an added element that feels like butterflies in the stomach. An angelic chorus of short and sweet “ah’s” in the backdrop fully immerses the listener in a mythological passion with a midcentury surfer. “Drought 2” confesses the imagined need to run back. The lines: “I crack open/ Spill out the best and worst of me/ I’m still learning how to breathe,” bring to mind the unreliable fluidity of water, as well as the incessant want for further satisfaction. In the finale, “Pleaser” taps into the sardonic side of exploring relationships. It acts as a confession, a realization that even good intent is not enough alone to negate harm. The soft edges are complemented by the band’s more hardcore influences, it sounds angrier. Which exactly matches the meaning of stifling true emotions out of a desire for approval. 

Astrologers often foretell the return of an ex during the retrograde of planets. The unexplained and unmistakable air of optimism is equal parts periwinkle and delusional. Relying on the alignment of the universe during any part of the year is unavailing as mercurial personalities remain truly unpredictable. Time repeats itself, people get stuck in cycles. Nostalgia and reminiscence are the only delightful aspects of such human deficiencies. Shimmer retrospects with iridescence for the cherubs, Don Quixotes and adoring idealists of the world. —Marzia Thomas

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