david ivan neil - Daffodils
Self-Released
Released June 9th, 2023
Daffodils, the newest album from folk artist david ivan neil, is one of the biggest shocks in music I’ve experienced this year. I was genuinely invested and enthralled for all 22 minutes of this janky, and often silly indie record. It is one of my favourite albums of the year, I’ve never heard anything quite like it.
Right from the first song you get the perfect impression of what kind of ride you are in for. The title track “Daffodils,” begins with a simple drum beat, a little bit of bass, a few piano keys, it looks like an above average indie rock record, even in the first minute. Then start the vocals; twangy, soft, melancholic, reminiscent of Isaac Brock from Modest Mouse. The first line rings out,
“I’ve heard lots about roses, being red,”
Okay, with you so far, cute line.
“But Fuck that in this house we like Daffodils.”
Oh. Okay, this album is gonna be awesome.
The delivery of this line came so unexpectedly, it immediately sold me on the aesthetic of the album. This was a step away from the produced, clean cut indie that has saturated the market for decades now, this is a return to form, a hard reset. This album is intentionally imperfect, lines don’t always flow as they should, creating an effect that makes the music very human. The vocals sound like they are coming right from your friend at a fireplace, guitar in hand, and beer in belly.
Some lines verge on dumb, but it is done in such a way that I can tell it is intentional, “You make my stink not stunk,” being my favourite example. It has been so long since I have heard an artist actually have fun on a record. The swearing, while not uncommon, artfully dodges being edgy by feeling completely genuine. I feel that ‘genuine’ is the perfect descriptor for this album; everything in this album is so sincere and human, it makes me feel like I am in the studio swaying and smiling with them. The lyrics are clearly written from personal experience but they are not self-serious, the instrumentals are so specifically perfect for these songs, if it were any other album I would say they are derivative, or uncreative, but I feel like david ivan neil is aware of this, they have created a perfectly complementary and enjoyable backdrop to their funny lyrics.
I loved this album so much, it scratched such an itch in my head that I don’t think I will ever be satisfied in the same way ever again. This is one of the best albums of 2023, even in this lengthy review I cannot begin to express my admiration for this anti-folk masterpiece.
- Kaden Peaslee
