If you’re just discovering Drugdealer, the folk-influenced psychedelic band centered around the multi-faceted frontman Michael Collins, you are right on time. The band made its debut back in 2016 with its LP, The End of Comedy, an 11-track outing where you see Collins attempting to strike a balance between his wide array of influences and melt them down into something brand new. The band really started to shine on their 2019 album Raw Honey, you can really hear the chemistry begin to click for the band members while Collins’ songwriting begins to blossom and become more vulnerable and poetic. These two albums are strung together through twangy guitars and jazz-influenced arrangements providing a backdrop as Collins croons through melancholy lyrics.
On their latest release, Hiding In Plain Sight, the band continues to improve on what defines them and experiment with new tones and sounds, exchanging the intimacy of their first two releases for satin-laced grooves that lean towards classic soul records for Drugdealer’s best work to date.
While Collins isn’t afraid to explore new sounds for the sake of the song, one thing that is always consistent in his work is how he sets the tone for his records. Whether it is a slow ballad or a western-style country tune, Drugdealer always knows exactly how to introduce a concept and execute that sound to its fullest extent. They strike gold in the tone department yet again with the incredible intro track to their new album, “Madison”. You’re immediately introduced to a new side of Collins, a soulful storyteller who is equally influenced by the pub rock of the 70s and the soul of the 60s. Collins combines these two eras to create unique textures, while this is a step into a new era for Drugdealer, they can’t seem to let go of their roots. A song like “Hard Dreaming Man” features some of the best songwriting on the album but the band slides back into the folk-inspired sound from their 2016 debut, creating a feeling of inconsistency. It’s a great song, just doesn’t fit in with the rest of the album, and that lovely combo of influences from track one disappears and the LP gets held back because of it.
Drugdealer’s efforts to create more soulful music are obvious from the arrangements, but Collins’ vocal performance was the driving force of this new sound. The band has always had great arrangements on their albums, and this new one is no different, while they are venturing into new territory and succeeding with tighter instrumentation, it’s the vocals that package these new sonics perfectly. Collins has never sounded better, he is able to shift his voice in new ways and his natural sense of timing allows for a shocking change of pace for the frontman. “New Fascination” is a highlight, for this reason, the wonky guitar chords are met with equally elastic harmonies from Collins, creating one of the more experimental tracks on Hiding In Plain Sight. The vocals on “New Fascination” are a welcomed departure from their past sound, instead of having the instrumental do the heavy lifting it’s Collins’s voice that is driving these songs, and adding splashes of texture and bright colors to their already bountiful arrangements.
Drugdealer does not build worlds with their music, they break down the world around them and create simple yet potent pieces of music with what is left. Hiding In Plain Sight has Collins at his most confident and creative with lush production and vague yet intriguing songwriting that burst with color and personality. If his first two releases were snowflakes, Hiding In Plain Sight is the resulting avalanche that consumes the listener with enticing solos and stirring songwriting, making this an album worth your time.
