Dawes pushes boundaries of folk music

The folk-rock band pushed boundaries on this album. Straying from safe acoustic guitar tracks, the band experiments with pop influences, trading “jangling guitars for swampy keyboards.” However, their essence remains the same. The folk influence and guitar mastery are recognizable, and Goldsmith’s signature vocals tie this album back to previous ones.

“We want each record to have an identity, within the defined identity of who we are, and we want each record to have a referential relationship with what came before it,” Goldsmith said in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “We want to grow up, but not away from ourselves. We don’t want to abandon who we are, because we like who we are. But we want to refine, and add to it.”

Despite its name, the album is upbeat, leaving listeners with a sense of positivity about their own futility. Rather than hopelessness, Dawes attempts to encourage fans to live their life to the fullest,

“I have songs that revel in the sadness of something, or the darker side of something. And I don’t like singing those songs,” said lead-singer Taylor Goldsmith. “When I found Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan or Warren Zevon, they would take these situations, some sort of absurd, unfortunate reality and they would figure out a way to portray in a way that would give you hope or made you smile. Maybe this isn’t as bad as it initially felt. That’s what I want to sing about.”

Unlike most rock bands, Dawes is secure in their desire to evolve with every album. They unapologetically change their sounds and inspirations and hope that their fans stay loyal and support them in their explorations.

“I get on board with an artist, and I want to hear them push boundaries,” Goldsmith said. “I want to hear them get bored with something and get excited by something else. Challenge themselves and therefore challenge me. So, that’s the kind of fan that we play to.”

Having been in the business for several years — their first album North Hills was released in 2009 — Dawes has had to understand and maintain what motivates them as a band, and has successfully done so.

“[Making this record] reminded me of when we made our first record,” Goldsmith said. “Of us continuing to push our circumstances in a way that excited us. I think if we ever lost sight of that, we’d lose our sense of inspiration and really disappoint ourselves. We don’t think about what came before, we always think about what comes next.”

Unlike most other L.A. success stories, members of Dawes didn’t set out to pursue music as a career.

“We thought four white guys from L.A. playing acoustic guitar songs was not really going to have legs,” Goldsmith said. “When we made our first record, the feeling was ‘Let’s get this record made, so it’s something we can show our friends once we inevitably have to go to our regular jobs. None of us ever saw it as ‘our chance.’”

Dawes has toured with Alabama Shakes, Mumford and Sons and Hozier, establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the folk music genre. They’ve sold out several venues across the country, and played several festivals, including Lollapalooza Berlin, South by South West and Bonnaroo.

“Mumford invited us all on stage, members from War on Drugs, my Morning Jacket, and Shakes and Hozier, and we all performed “With A Little Help From My Friends,” Goldsmith said of Lollapalooza. “There were 70,000 people watching and not being able to see anything but humans for as far as you can see was a surreal experience.”

While they didn’t anticipate the kind of response and success they have achieved, the band has worked incredibly hard to get to where they are.

“Just being the most talented guy in the room doesn’t make sure you’re the one that gets to do what you want with your life,” Goldsmith said. “Be obsessed. Be obnoxiously obsessed with what you do. Because, those are the only people who even have a chance of getting to do this for a living.”