It’s irrefutably The Dangerous Summer, and it only takes one listen to determine that. War Paint, released July 19, is the band’s follow-up to debut Reach For The Sun (2009), revered by many a music fan for its warm, energetic tone and accessibility. The new album finds the same elements: Cody Payne’s and Bryan Czap’s whirring, warm guitar simultaneously anchoring the song and creating its melody while A.J. Perdomo more breathes melodically and emphatically than sings over crashing drum rhythms. That’s what you’ll find on the first listen, and it’ll please any Dangerous Summer fan—or any fan of today’s rock’n’roll. But after the second and third spins, War Paint reveals the band’s growth in the past two years, appreciated and necessary improvements that create a tighter, more sophisticated sound.

It’s hard to isolate those differences though. “War Paint,” the first and title track, is the quintessential Dangerous Summer tune, as is “Parachute,” populating the latter half of the record with a Reach For The Sun stamp of approval. “No One’s Gonna Need You More” is an equally upbeat, sing-along tune, A.J. singing mid-tempo over a pop-punk drumbeat, a familiar, successful formula. This song is especially familiarly: there’s a melody at the end of the first verse that’s remarkably similar to one from the debut album’s “Surfaced.” 

The record’s success is in the variety of song structure; while those tracks, along with late-album tune “I Should Leave Right Now,” speak for the enjoyable but tried mid-tempo, the remaining songs fit the The Dangerous Summer mold in only the most basic ways. A.J.’s vocals on “Work in Progress” are charged with emotion but rougher with urgency, while symbol-heavy drum rhythms dominate the track, the soniferous tumult of which A.J. sings in the refrain: “Save me a place inside the quiet // I don’t hate, cause I see it in everyone around // And lately I’ve been losing truth // Faith I have been losing too.” He continues to master not only penning words but delivering them; half of his craft is his flawless ability to use emphasis and vocal dynamic to foster feeling in a few words. The song surprises at its close, rounding out with high-pitched feedback and A.J. breathing heavily over the chaos.

As on that track, War Paint lyrics are significantly more introspective. A.J. seems taken with romantic upheaval and struggle, and future, perhaps unachievable, dreams. A.J. turns clichéd loneliness on ballad-esque “Everyone Left” into an honest and raw anthemnic promise. “Siren” is also a notable slower track, again love-centric, as is all of War Paint. While the songwriting is more complex and artful, that lyrics harp on loss and love renders the album less universally accessible than Reach For The Sun. But rather than create a collection of generic inspirerers and commiserating tunes, The Dangerous Summer have specialized, thoroughly exploring being brokenhearted in every tempo and tone, lyrics as therapeutic and thoughtful as the warm guitar melodies and constant rhythms. Even on the faster, upbeat tracks, like closer “Waves,” The Dangerous Summer’s energy is harnessed, exploding forward through the build of the song.

War Paint is short of perfection; certain tracks, like “In My Room,” can fade into the woodwork of the record, and the warm, flowing sound can be repetitive, especially when subject matter doesn’t vary. And if with nothing else, War Paint resounds with the talent and promise of The Dangerous Summer. They spent two years with and only with Reach For The Sun, perfecting their style, internalizing every second of the record. Fans should be patient with War Paint and eager to watch this band take the same painstaking care of it and of their musicianship. The only hope that it won’t be as long of a wait to see new material.

✭✭✭✭✩

*This review was composed by Emily Coch