Dewey’s debut single ‘Jinx’ signified the arrival of a band with a potential greatness. On that track, the young Parisians served up a sound wholly indebted to the 90s with a massive shoegaze tone that really pushed some interesting guitar work to the fore. Right from the opening notes, though, it was clear that each of the band members had something important to offer when a solid drum part powered a fine groove, and the wall of guitars was joined by an equally solid bass.
Above all, ‘Jinx’ sounded far more melodic than a lot of the genre’s pioneers – a slither of indie melody contrasting the semi-woozy feel that the likes of My Bloody Valentine wouldn’t deem necessary made the single so much more accessible, and the way a busy and almost otherworldly keyboard line layered the main melody with something a little busier definitely gave the performance far more of an uplifting quality. Taking pride of place on Dewey’s ‘Summer On A Curb’ LP – issued almost three months later – ‘Jinx’ sounds better than ever.
The album’s opening track, ‘City Has Come To Crash’ opens with an interesting riff combining thin sounding guitars and wavering keys, giving little indication of what’s to follow beyond “an indie based sound”. Allowing time for the melodies to grow, the verse introduces a very melodic arrangement where echoing vocals glide over a mid tempo groove, and the bulk of the music is dominated by a light, swirling guitar, mixing elements of Ride with the heart of KEELEY, and the less busy elements of Euro shoegazers Bloom Effect. It’s a touch more commercial than ‘Jinx’, yet still very much in the realms of something destined for cult status among those who were in their twenties when this sound was in vogue the first time around. Taking a “heavier” stance, the punchy ‘Outside of The Lines’ places an overdriven guitar riff over a stomping rhythm, taking the Dewey sound a little further into the realms of Weezer influenced material. The heart of the band is still beating furiously, of course, and there’s a strong link with the previous track via a hugely filtered vocal and a brief instrumental break where the guitar taps into far more of a shoegaze sound. Never rushing, this performance is very strong in a “retro indie” sense, showing how effortlessly Dewey can hit a groove without losing too much of their atmospheric edge.
The sense of atmosphere reappears rather unapologetically on ‘Role Model’, a track that’s big on ringing guitars to fill quieter moments, and able to hit upon a classic, early 90s shoegaze riff to fill a bigger sounding chorus. The way the main melody places an equal importance on fuzzy tones and swooning melodies makes it peak shoegaze in so many ways, and even though the end result feels a little predictable, the band’s Euro accent and sense of the slightly trippy makes this an album highlight, along with ‘Void’ which clings onto the shoegaze fuzz, places it in the context of a punchy indie banger much closer to Superchunk, but gives the predictable riff a huge lift with the help of quirky new wave inspired keys. It’s here, perhaps most obviously, Dewey show how effortlessly they can slip into something that really rocks, and the combination of styles here, underscoring a pleasingly lax vocal, borders on perfect for the style.
Mixing classic shoegaze with a slacker tempo, the lolloping title track makes a great feature of a superb guitar tone, heavy on the effects, providing a very natural counterpart to a mellow vocal, before a repetitive chorus hook makes a familiar sound seem a little more infectious. Originality clearly isn’t much of a factor here, but the quartet hit upon a near perfect retro indie sound, and the same can be said for ‘Tough Crowd’ which punctuates a by now fairly predictable indie fuzziness with a siren-like lead guitar adding a far more distinctive melody to contrast the hazy vocal. For those into the style, the over-familiar tones will certainly not be an issue; this track’s retro alternative stance is almost perfectly pitched, creating a strong sense of the nostalgic from something brand new, and with ‘Yesterday After Dawn’ following immediately with just as much confidence, it creates a one-two punch that’s very strong. ‘Yesterday…’ works a dense riff that pushes more of the bass sound within an arrangement that occasionally sounds like the much-missed Spielbergs playing something a touch heavier. Again, it’s clearly Dewey’s guiding collective hand, but by taking a slight curveball, the album is afforded a little more variety.
Often hitting a perfect mix of dense riffs and melodic elements, much like ‘Jinx’, the bulk of this eleven track album is arguably more approachable than the majority of shoegaze oriented releases. It’s possibly still introspective enough to not make a huge impact on first listen, but over time, some brilliant riffs – and the band’s obvious appreciation for a classic sound – should be enough to convince you that this not just a good debut, but a potentially great one. It could even be the start of a journey to something even better…
February/March 2026