The Dangerous Summer

Supporting Acts: Weatherbox, Ten Second Epic

The Dangerous Summer

Straightforward, earnest rock music seems to be a contradiction from the path popular music has strayed as of late. The need for genuine lyrics, purposeful direction and accessible melodies has been long overdue. The Dangerous Summer have crafted a throwback to the days when music was charged with hope and contained a much-needed brand of sincerity. This foursome from Ellicott City, MD, have poured every drop of honesty and thoughtfulness into Reach For The Sun, a polished and wise debut brimming with a poise that belies the band's years. Taking their name from an Ernest Hemingway novel of the same name, it seems every move toward success has been calculated from the start. "We thought that name sort of fit for the time in which we were starting the band, and the commitment we're getting into," explained guitarist Cody Payne. That commitment was one that proved a bit shaky at the band's beginning, when their crowded hometown shows gave way to smaller turnouts once they ventured past city limits. As Payne recalls, The Dangerous Summer's first NYC show was held in a bar basement and included an audience of five. But for this collection of friends who'd been toiling away in practice sessions since high school, these were simply the dues of an ambitious group of musicians. And that low attendance record soon became a thing of the past once Hopeless Records came calling, finding the band's quintessential rock pleasers just as inviting and impressive as those hometown patrons. Sticking with producer Paul Leavitt (All Time Low, Circa Survive) in their comfortable and familiar home base, The Dangerous Summer wanted to fashion Reach For The Sun with someone who "really knows how to bring out our sound," Payne said. "Also, since we weren't doing much as a band and were at home living somewhat normal lives, this album was just driven by pure inspiration and just wanting to play music." With Bryan Czap adding spiraling second guitar, Tyler Minsberg smattering raptly behind the drum kit and AJ Perdomo's astute lyrics and ardent delivery, The Dangerous Summer has churned out a studied and unfettered production. The modern nostalgia and urgency of opener and lead single "Where I Want To Be" builds to the crisp ebb-and-flow of "Surfaced," before giving way to the tempered yearning of "Northern Lights." Perdomo emits an understated-yet-electric vocal approach that is vulnerable and defiant in the same breath. ..