The Duskwhales

On first listen, the track is pleasantly crafted baroque pop, but there are some rather sour sentiments smuggled in beneath those sweet surfaces (if you're looking for reference points, mid-period Beatles, Elliott Smith, and Emitt Rhodes spring to mind). - Under the Radar

We’re pleased to premiere the new track from The Duskwhales, “Emerald Skates”. The breezy, summery song is a nice soundtrack for the coldest day of 2016 thus far. - Brightest Young Things

On the opposite end of the spectrum, The Duskwhales blew my mind from the start. Just before the set began, singer Seth Flynn stood onstage with a sheet on his head, which was my indicator that the band would either be really good or really bad— luckily it was the former.

The trio from Manassas, Virginia, came out of the gate with strong, amazing beats that thrilled the crowd. The band’s sound drew from many elements, with pounding rhythms with an ’80s influence and moments of indie pop. The songs put Flynn’s falsetto to good use.
The aforementioned sheet later turned into a cape on Flynn’s shoulders, as he shredded on his guitar. The set featured amazing transitions between songs; it was hard to tell where one song ended and the next began, but it was a gloriously twisted ride. Just when a song seemed like it was over, the band would kick back in with an intense, effervescent breakdown to carry the crowd through the next musical wave. The audience was swept along with their dynamic sound. - DC Music Download

There’s not one track on this newest album, which is self-titled, that doesn’t boast a clear inspirational lineage that points back to, wait for it, The Beatles. The first half of the album offers several Magical Mystery Tour-esque arrangements and harmonies while the last half, if we’re beating the Beatles comparison to death, likens a lot more to Abbey Road. As I mentioned before, with the keyboard stylings matching that of one Mr. Manzarek from The Doors, it should also be mentioned that there is a very sophisticated and calculated lyrical approach…much like that Morrison guy had.

All that said, don’t think that The Duskwhales are peddling morbid lullabies or that this album is a cornucopia of LSD-induced imagery, (if it is they sure are subtle about it) when, in fact, this record moves a lot like what we’ve come accustomed to from the likes of Vampire Weekend, Best Coast, or Portugal. The Man. It’s not all head-bopping, riding-the-convertible-up-the-PCH-style stuff, but it definitely won’t have you reaching for the sharpest object in the room when it’s all said and done.

The mixing of this album was done, it seems, in a way to keep the vocals on the same plane as the rest of the track, which works fine, but is the only point of contention I have with this record since the lead singer (whose name I couldn’t locate to save my life – of the 10 websites I visited, none of them broke up the band by position) shows signs of having decent range. - Mad Vowel Disease