Album Reviews

- by Tom Dumarey

Warm Thoughts (formerly known as Dad Punchers) is the solo project from Touché Amoré drummer Elliot Babin. And when he says solo, he means it. Not only did he write everything himself, he also played all of the instruments. Now, if the Touché Amoré link makes you hope for some more badass post-hardcore songs, well… sorry, you are shit out of luck. You do get a very fun album to listen to though.

‘I Went Swimming Alone’ comes with ten tracks’ worth of Babin’s doubts, fears and momentary lapses of self-confidence wrapped in super breezy, sometimes downright poppy indie/emo tunes. I have to admit… the first time I listened to the album I was kinda ‘meh’ about it. Sure, it sounded all kinds of catchy and smooth, but I wasn’t immediately won over.

But then I kept coming back for cuts like ‘Sunbleached and Yellowed’ and ‘Precipitation’ and ended up staying for the dreamy ‘Intagible,’ which builds up to a nice climax at the end, the Joyce Manor-y ‘The Pier’ and… well, pretty much all the other songs. And man, that closing song… ‘A Memo To Me From My Future Self’? That is summer captured in a song.

Okay, so maybe Babin tries to cram a couple of syllables too many into a line every now and then. And maybe ‘Waiting For Me’ doesn’t quite cut it. But there is no shortage of slick melodies, big hooks and driving rhythms on ‘I Went Swimming Alone,’ an album that proves that Babin is not just a strong drummer but also an accomplished songwriter.

Track listing:

1. Romance Novelist
2. Sunbleached and Yellowed
3. Airport
4. Precipitation
5. Intangible
6. Waiting For Me
7. The Pier
8. To Talk At
9. Your Haircut Man
10. A Memo To Me From My Future Self