Album Review: Dave Hause - 'Devour'

‘DEVOUR’ IS THE SECOND SOLO ALBUM from Dave Hause – vocalist of the once-iconic punk rock band The Loved Ones –  released through Rise Records, and with it he seems to have taken a full band approach, rather than the soulful acoustic style he took on 2011’s ‘Resolutions’.

The central focus of 'Devour' lies in Dave Hause's experiences growing up in a blue-collar, working class neighborhood, the loss of youthful innocence in a rapidly changing world and unfulfilled promises made by the Reagan administration.

He takes a rather mournful approach to his song-writing; mostly nostalgia-driven, Dave Hause combines classic self-reflexive Springsteen-esque lyrics with that classic, blue-collar rock ‘n’ roll vibe that brings to mind archetypal images of classic Americana - leather jackets, cigarettes, jukeboxes, ‘50’s diners and classic cars.



Although the full-band intensity of ‘Devour’ is great, and compliments Hause’s vocals perfectly, it does just feel as though The Loved Ones which should’ve been on the cover has just been replaced by Dave Hause.

In some respects, it feels as though Hause is trying to cling on to the last remnants of The Loved Ones  former glory, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, he still evidently has the brilliant song writing ability which made The Loved Ones such a great band, and with the events of the last four years (the petering out of The Loved Ones, his construction company going under with the economy in 2009 and a divorce) he’s obviously found a new source of inspiration, and the angst of The Loved Ones has been replaced with a much more mature, world-weary melancholia.

Combine this world-weariness with a ‘classic rock ‘n’ roll’ vibe, spread it over 12 near-perfectly formed tracks and there’s a recipe for success. ‘Devour’ easily outshines Dave Hause’s last record, and even comes close to outshining his efforts as part of The Loved Ones, and with a label like Rise Records behind him there’s no limit to how far he could take his career as a solo artist.

Dave Hause will be on tour in the UK in December and ‘Devour’ is available to buy now on CD, vinyl or digitally.

UK Tour Dates:

December 05 – Southampton (Joiners)
December 06 – London (The Garage)
December 07 – Kingston-Upon-Thames (Banquet Records in-store)
December 07 – Nottingham (Bodega)
December 08 – Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (The Cluny)