You know how some albums are improved simply by where you listen to them? Some are best when you’re alone with a pair of headphones, others are great for contemplating during a nice walk, while many are designed for the gym. Well, Love Jail is the quintessential road trip record. That type of bluesy, enchanting psychedelic hard rock straight from the 70s is the name of the game here, and Dommengang absolutely nail the sound of the open road on their sophomore record. The trio relocated from NYC to Los Angeles, which greatly affected their style between records. The soul of their retro sludgy garage punk rock is still intact – and it’s what helps Love Jail maintain a strong sense of urgency even in its most meditative moments, but the band’s ZZ Top, Blue Oyster Cult, and Hawkwind influences reign supreme here; there’s more of that Texas blues and Arizona desert than anything else. The skyscraper guitar leads and hypnotic vocals will keep your head bobbing, and the propulsive and punkish rhythm section demand your fingers to tap along on the steering wheel.
The record has this immediacy that captures you and elevates even shitty trips to the store into something more spiritual and vital. The songs themselves have that signature 70s boogie, this fist-in-the-air energy that may, unintentionally, lead to a lead foot, so beware there. Love Jail meditates on a lot of issues around long road trips – leaving the city, shitty AM radio, the open road, leading to a record that’s much deeper and more contemplative than initial listens lead you to believe. Dommengang are the real deal, and as much as this is a road trip record, Love Jail would be equally effective at an open-air Summer festival. Were it not for a somewhat lackluster ending (the feeling of “are we there yet?” is inescapable), this sophomore release would be perfect. As it stands, we’re left with a joyous listen for those souls who long for time away from it all with friends and family.
