Dams Of The West. Youngish American (LP) (LP)

This debut from Dams of the West - aka Vampire Weekend drummer Chris Tomson - is another send up of the state of the USA in 2016. What elevates it above the scores of similar fare is his penchant for vivid lyrics, lush melodies and the Americana influences that fuel the pounding instrumentation. At its best, ‘ Youngish American ’ exists at the nexus of day-job classics ‘Giving Up the Gun’ and ‘Unbelievers’, offering glimpse of Chris’ massive potential to be an engaging solo star.

There are some stylistic similarities to bandmate Chris Baio’s own solo foray, ‘The Names,’ in Tomson’s penchant for building tracks around thumping, uptempo percussion, but where Baio employs house and electronic elements, Tomson’s sound has touches of post-punk and new wave that are employed well on tracks like ‘Will I Be Known to Her’ and ‘Pretty Good WiFi’.

From a thematic standpoint, Tomson is committed to exploring his homeland with a lens wide enough to fit both enduring stereotypes and things that symbolise the country’s dizzying descent over the past year. ‘Tell the Truth’ deals with the ‘post-fact’ nature of politics, and Chris works to capture the mindset that allows someone to exist without questioning obvious falsehoods. “Far from her cloistered yard, there’s so much evil / With unfamiliar names and where simple things are illegal,” he sings.