Submarines Reviewed
Submarines
Declare A New State!
(Nettwerk)
Ah, love. Jack Dragonetti (of Jack Drag) and Blake Hazard take us through the breakup that preceded their eventual marriage.
Truth be told, the story behind *Declare A New State! trumps the album. Two songwriters fall in love, tear apart, start writing to detail the split, which ultimately leads to reconciliation and nuptials. Created mostly with guitar and synths, the resultant album is sleepy and lazily narrated. Occasionally a numbing beat and chord progression becomes irresistible (“Vote”), though all too often the lyrics are spelled out to the point of dumbing down (“Love is not these belongings that surround me/though there’s meaning in the memories they hold”), with clichés too available for them to resist (“I heard a ghost of your voice/long after you had left the room”). Smart concept — it might have ended better with (an) execution.
— Steve Forstneger
