Smoke Signals

Last week, an unprecedented event occurred here at Smoke Signals Headquarters. We got mail! It did not contain any explanations or details, only several posters for a band called “Almost Monday” and the caption “DEBUT ALBUM DIVE OUT NOW.” Bold marketing strategy, but it looks like it worked.

Almost Monday is composed of three high school friends from Southern California. They’ve gained a strong following since their 2020 EP, don’t say you’re ordinary, and, hot off the heels of supporting AJR in The Maybe Man Tour, have released their first full-length project, DIVE. The promotional poster was really cool, and frankly we want more such merchandise sent to us, so let’s hope this thing is good.

The intro and title track, “dive,” sets the scene for a cohesive and musically tight album experience. Upon that promise, Almost Monday certainly delivers. The hooks across DIVE are catchy, the melodies are pleasing, and each song manages to win a smile no matter how hard one may resist.

This isn’t to say that DIVE is perfect, however. While each song is fun, and Almost Monday shows signs of coming into their own, the album suffers from sounding a bit like “just another indie pop record.” In a genre that can often seem oversaturated, Almost Monday would do well to try to branch out, make themselves more unique. While DIVE is, in truth, a far cry from generic or boring, there are several points across the record (“never enough,” “is it too late?” and “can’t slow down” come to mind) where it feels like there are the seeds of what could eventually be the distinct Almost-Monday sound, but remain a bit undeveloped here.

However, if this is the only criticism that can be leveled against DIVE, that means something far more good than bad. As a debut, it can hardly be expected to be highly experimental, nor can the band be expected to have fully carved out a niche in the great stonework of pop music. And as is said above, DIVE is not without character or originality. Each song is good, several really good. The Californians quite appropriately encapsulate a youthful, beachside carefree attitude across the record (“sunburn,” “life goes by,” “seaside market”), and the songs manage to each find their own ways to be relatable. The music simultaneously makes the listener feel nostalgic and forces them to live in the moment and enjoy life. 

If you are driving, no matter how hard of a day you have had, and then you put on “jupiter,” you’ll find your head nodding and face lightening. While DIVE isn’t necessarily deep, overly-complicated, listen-while-sitting-in-dark-contemplation music, that isn’t what it is meant to be. Almost Monday makes music for people to live to, music to inspire people to go out and have fun.

All in all, DIVE isn’t a perfect album. All of the songs on it are good, but sometimes a listener may struggle to have much more to say on them than that. Despite this, it achieves the mission of being a promising and great first full-length outing from a band who clearly love the music they make. The music is wonderful, fun, and shows amazing potential for Almost Monday to become something really, really special. If you are reading this, Almost Monday, we here at Smoke Signals anxiously await our next package of promotional posters, and the music they represent.

Until that day comes, though, you can go see the band for yourself as they embark on a World Tour, which includes a stop in Atlanta on February 12, 2025!