More than an artistic evolution, End of Daze is a stylistic one. Dum Dum producer Richard Gottehrer returns to expand on the fullness he brought to the band's last record, 2011's Only in Dreams. It's a direction that feels even more natural and sensible in this second effort, and it's exactly where the band belongs: a cavern filled with the kind of '60s reverb that fits their gloom-jams. Lyrically, though, it's less than a fun listen. The energetic sorrow that made Dreams great has fizzled (the daze has ended). Frontwoman Dee Dee is burnt out, alone, and tired of explaining herself. Those aren't ideal conditions for songwriting. The album's listlessness — when compared to the blisteringly restless heartbreak/firecracker of Dreams — is kind of a bummer. Best call Daze a transition, love it for what it is (a sonic move forward), and hope Dee Dee doesn't mean it when she proclaims, "I've got nothing/Left to say/From this day on."
Dum Dum Girls + Bent + Shapes + Velah >> Brighton Music Hall, 158 Brighton Ave, Allston >> October 21 @ 8 pm >> $15 >> 617.779.0140
