Dear Reader wants you to Replace Why With Funny
By Nick Manteris · 0 Comments · Leave a Comment
Replace Why With Funny is the debut album from the Johannesburg, South Africa trio, Dear Reader. They were originally a pop-sounding duo called Harris Tweed…until the Harris Tweed Authority asked them to find another name. Then they found another member and decided to base their new name on Charlotte Brontë’s first-person writing style in the book, Jane Eyre. In addition to the moniker modification they also developed a new, deeper sound with the production help of Brent Knopf from the band Menomena.
“Way Of The World” starts the album off with the cute voice of Cherilyn MacNeil recounting a scenario that is probably familiar to everyone: “oh - the alarm clock, gotta get up / some days just that seems pretty tough.” Don’t let this somewhat lighthearted beginning give you the wrong impression, though…most of the songs have a much darker mood. And it works perfectly…whether it’s stuff like “You did not do me wrong, in fact you did me right / to let me go although I felt so broken” in “Bend” or lines like “He used to tell me that I was beautiful / but now he's not sure / that's when I realised I'm all alone” in “Never Goes,” their break-up songs are the best ones. “The Same” is the only real misstep on the album, and even though the last minute kinda works, the song as a whole kinda doesn’t.
- Score
- 94%
Johannesburg, South Africa probably doesn’t produce many bands, but Dear Reader is the one to listen to…and if there’s one group in the entire continent of Africa that you should check out, it’s them, actually. If you disbelieve, listen to Replace Why With Funny while City Slang is still streaming the album and decide for yourself.
