In 1996 two surf rats from Huntington Beach California came together and created a band now known as the DirtyHeads. This Alternative/Reggae/punk band takes inspiration from Bob Marley and Sublime, while creating their own unique sound. Almost 30 years later, they’ve amassed two RIAA Gold records and opened a new restaurant. But I’d like to take a look at an album that doesn’t get enough credit: Super Moon.

Super Moon is a 2019 album consisting of 10 songs, with a run time of 33 minutes total. Each song is a discussion on moments in one’s life from heartbreak, to true love, or feeling burnt out. Each song encapsulates these feelings with a laid back beat, classic horn sound, and draws from classic country artists like Johnny Cash and Curtis Mayfield. This album is vastly different from their usual sound, especially coming off their previous album Swim team that elevated their sound to what we know as the Dirty Heads as today. This album is a welcome change of pace for the group, showing their versatility as artists.

The first part of the album I’d like to talk about is Come Back Around to Lighthouse, these two songs describe a quarrel between a couple that has fallen out of love with each other. Feeling that they’re relationship couldn’t last forever, it is moving too fast to be something worthwhile. But even with how fast they were feeling one of them still wants a resemblance of what they had, waiting for their relationship to flourish once again. The track following this song is Lighthouse, This song is a response to the relationship ending. No matter where they are in the world or who they’re with at that moment they’ll always be waiting for them, being there for them when they fall. It shows that no matter where life takes you or what relationships stick around, love will always be there to pick up the pieces. The songs of these albums tell a story all of us listening are a little too familiar with. Pulling emotions people have felt before to create an emotional listening experience.

The next song of the album worth mentioning is Tender boy. This is the story of a character battling their life with temporary solutions that’ll never fix the problem. Finding the fact that they’re endlessly floating chasing how they once felt before the world started to end. Finding solace in their solutions the character keeps going on, acting as if nothings wrong. Searching for advice on how to find peace before it’s too late. With a haunting melody provided by the Dirtyheads pianist, Jon Jon, the group uses this to their advantage with the line,” I let the piano play inside my head until I’m elevated.” This line almost brings the listener into how the character feels as they float on trying to ignore reality. By having Jon Jon’s piano melody playing throughout the song. It creates a similarity between the listener and the character, as they both descend into darkness together.

The final song I’d like to mention is Crow Bar Hotel. This song tells the story of a man stuck in jail who finds freedom in seeing the birds that come to the jail. As he watches them come and go he longs to be free. He wants to see the sky at night but can’t because he’s stuck in his cell and longs to feel the sunshine on his face but only for an hour during outdoors time. It shows how hard it is when a lot of your freedoms are taken away from you. Being able to come and go, not having to worry about anything else but the moment. It makes you grateful when listening to have everything that’s provided to you and the freedoms that we easily take for granted. But that’s the overall message of this album. It’s to remind the listener throughout all of life’s struggles that there still can be joy found in the little things. Something everyone needs a reminder of every once in a while.