Coasting by on Good Vibes: a Review of Daily J’s Scatterbrains

On their upcoming album Scatterbrains, Daily J mixes  the vibes of the southern hemisphere with a cocktail of indie sounds springing from far closer to home. If they are planning to wear their influences, long sleeves will be required.

Hailing from Auckland, New Zealand, Daily J describe themselves as an indie-psych band. And, in their most creatively ambitious moments, flashes of Tame Impala’s vocal reverb and bright, swirling soundscapes do shine through – such as on single Cheap Tequila Sunrise and the outro of Happy Slides. But these moments are few and far between. And, whilst the majority of the album is competently made, by a band who clearly love what they are doing, the emphasis is undoubtedly on the indie – not the psychedelic.

For the most part, Scatterbrains sounds like the geographically displaced lovechild of Glass Animals and Two Door Cinema Club, with Declan McKenna serving as some sort of wayward uncle. If that sounds up your street, then this album could well be worth your time. Its songs are breezy, enjoyable, and focused on escaping the mundanity of everyday life through good vibes and a jangly riff. Unfortunately, my personal taste resides a couple of roads over.

Taken on their own, each track presents something of merit. Opener Sunday Stitches sports lovely two tracked harmonies and Cheap Tequila Sunrise packs a bouncy bass sure to spark a smile from most listeners. The problem arises, however, when you listen to the album in full. There is no denying that these songs start blending together, with only a few standout moments (which often drew on a more psychedelic, Australasian indie sound) to save Scatterbrains from the dark fate of landing in the indie landfill - which they certainly do not deserve. Despite any issues, Scatterbrains stands head and shoulders above the instagram reel records of many upcoming British indie acts… Bilk, I’m looking at you.

Credit: Daily J

It is hard to pinpoint exactly where Daily J’s magic is missing from. Perhaps straying so close to their influences is an uphill battle, especially when listeners are already so intimately familiar with them. And the unfortunate truth is that Daily J struggle to match that which they are paying homage to, making the similarities all the harder to ignore when the tracks they are featured on fall below par - such as For Your Leisure.

The lyrics too struggle to say anything meaningful, with the aforementioned track featuring the clanger: “can we get as high as superman?” On its own, the lyric could easily pass me by, but Daily J make the questionable choice of repeating it for the full chorus. It struck me more as the scribbling of a primary school child with an unfortunate habit than anything I could genuinely invest in.

Now, this is not to say I particularly disliked this album. There are issues, yes, but Daily J’s heart is clearly in the right place. The songs are well produced, the vocal harmonies are lovely and take different styles (the Gorillaz style spoken word on Sunday Stitches is an excellent inclusion) and Go with the Flow benefits from the introduction of some well-placed eighties synths. The main issue is that, in their writing, Daily J are attempting to do too much with too little.

Tracks drag and become repetitive not because they are badly written or performed, but because they have been made too long and stretched too thin. Daily J’s ideas, if falling under three minutes, are bright, catchy, easy listening. But they are not strong enough to carry a five-minute song. Admittedly, complaining that a nine song, thirty-minute album is too long is not a sterling endorsement, but I found it to be the unavoidable conclusion of my listening experience.

Credit: Ethan Allerby

However, this album does have some green shoots. When Daily J take their own advice, relax, and stop attempting to cram every second with an indie throwback, they produce a pair of genuinely lovely tracks in Someone to Cry About and Roadie. By keeping the tracks simpler, cleaner and more direct, they manage to do a whole lot more with a whole lot less. They also feel far more earnest, a quality which compliments the warm sound throughout.

Whilst these songs remain undeniably entry level from a listener's perspective, this is not necessarily problematic. Knowing exactly what to cut to make a song most direct is a key skill in pop writing, and something Daily J could truly capitalise on with later releases. Plus, do we not all sometimes need a song that we can stick on and fully enjoy on a first listen? The experience is almost novel amongst the the spiralling lyrical complexities of current indie juggernauts Fontaines DC or The 1975.

Throughout the album, frontman Jesse Paul encourages listeners to kick back and relax. It is a character he breaks rarely. But, when he does, I found the questions he raised to be particularly pertinent. Sure, it can be a real treat to live life stress free, but is it realistic to be a Scatterbrain forever? And, with that in mind, can you listen to this corner of indie forever? The answer to both questions must be no. But there is no harm in enjoying it whilst you still can. And, to that end, Daily J know exactly what they are going for. If the artists I have compared the band to hold space on your Spotify wrapped, then I can easily see this album sliding into your rotation. But, for me, despite the occasional good vibe, the destination this album reached was not worth the trip.