HUB

Even in their infancy, Dawes felt like a big, classic rock band capable of churning out ‘70s FM hits with just enough hipster-swagger to keep them from sounding totally retro. So while Stories Don’t End has been touted as the album where Dawes finally breaks free from their indie-Americana genre confines, in reality, their third album feels like a natural extension of the patented, throwback sound they’ve explored since their early days playing LA clubs. Producer Jacquire King – the man who helped turn fellow roots-rockers Kings Of Leon into arena superstars – cleans up Dawes’ sound a bit, but the band’s Laurel Canyon roots still shine through on the breezy “Hey Lover,” the organ-colored “Most People” and the dreamy “Someone Will.” Frontman Taylor Goldsmith’s lyrics are as well thought out and poetic as ever, including the grandiose single “Just Beneath the Surface,” which contains the best variation of the line “the music never stopped” since Bob Weir and John Perry Barlow. When Dawes does stretch out, they nod to Steely Dan on the funky, boogie-rocker “From a Window Seat,” instead of relying on electro beats and modern, hip-hop gloss. Stories Don’t End may feel more like Dire Straits than Dylan and The Band, but it is still a timeless record whose songs sound just as natural on a radio dial as they would on a Spotify playlist.