Directions For Daylight, the recent release from San Fran’s The Trophy Fire, is hit-or-miss depending on the listener. The opening track, “Hey Dreamer,” starts out slow and dry but finishes strong. The beachy and relaxing number, complete with lulling and romantic guitars, works with the disc’s album art of a serene sunset. The Trophy Fire seem to be off to a strong start with two fairly different sounding songs following each other to add in some diversity. In contrast to “Hey Dreamer,” “Spinning” is a bit more upbeat yet still holds onto a shoegaze vibe.
The Trophy Fire’s moment to shine arrives when the title-track begins. Despite having some flatness as far as movement is concerned, “Directions For Daylight” is crafted with classy keys that separates itself from the rockier bits of the release. This track makes it easy to lose oneself in the moment, however, that doesn’t last too long, as “Devil At My Door” comes crawling in. The slow-moving number drags on for what seems like an eternity, though the hypnotic crash of the cymbals, which has crashing wave-like qualities and complementing oceanic guitar riffs, redeems it.
Throughout Directions For Daylight, one thing was evident, and it was that The Trophy Fire’s tracklist for the release went well with its album artwork. Even with the bumps in the road, The Trophy Fire has the entire album come full circle by ending Directions For Daylight just as strong as it began. “Kids” is an anthem waiting to happen. Although not incredibly bright and bubbly, it can speak for those in their late 20s looking for something to drive around to and reflect on.
In A Word: Warm
