The Decibels - Scene, Not Herd (2019)

On the occasion a band breaks up, gets back together after many years, and then releases a new record, you'll often hear them say "this is the best thing we've ever done." To which long-term fans of their early work will often roll their eyes and respectfully disagree. Because the DECIBELS' body of work has always been of a high standard, it's hard to say which record is the best, but I can say without a doubt that this brand new 2019 long-player Scene, Not Herd just adds to that body of work. It contains 12 original tunes that would all be smash hits if there was any justice in the universe.

This LP ranks right up there with their classic LPs - Create Action, The Big Sounds of The Decibels and the collection of early tracks, The Bart Thurber Sessions. They still channel their own brand of moddish guitar pop (elements of THE BEAT, THE ROMANTICS, THE PLIMSOULS, the mod-era WHO with a pinch of the JAM, but squeezed through their own filter that gives them their own sound) with the same fire and intensity that they've always had. Scene, Not Herd sounds as though it could have come out a year after their last original release, not 17. But it's not a simple rehash of previous records, where it sounds like a band plugs in the formula and releases the same record over and over again, but with less sincerity each time. There is a kind of deepening to the music on Scene, Not Herd without forsaking any of the elements that have made the DECIBELS great.

This just might be their "All Mod Cons". Look, the world is absolutely nuts right now - who knows what will happen to this big spinning orb even a year from now?! So it is time to grab those things that are life-affirming, feed your soul, and cut through the madness to remind you that there's still good in the world and there are still rays of sunshine to bask in. Simple as that sounds, Scene, Not Herd is one of those things.