Band: Dinner and a Suit
Album: Since Our Departure
Genre: Rock/Pop
Label: Unsigned

What an exciting year it’s been for Nashville pop/rock trio, Dinner and a Suit. Somehow in the midst of SXSW showcases, having their video for “Too Late” voted into regular rotation on MTVU, being featured in multiple TV shows and relentless touring, the band managed to release their first full length album, Since Our Departure.

Whereas I don’t fully understand Dinner and a Suit’s band name at all, it doesn’t really matter because Since Our Departure overshadows my confusion with compelling music and great production quality.

Since Our Departure opens up with my favorite track on the album, “Love Is Risky”. It’s catchy and well-written but not to the point where it’s nauseating like certain big name pop/rock groups. In fact, the song is infectious in just that sort of way that makes me want to replay the song over again just so I can bob my head.

Immediately following “Love Is Risky” is the album’s single, “Too Late”, which starts with a laid back piano line that helps to set the tone for the rest of the song. The choruses are catchy and simple enough, inviting listeners to easily sing along with lead singer, Jonathan Capeci.

The next two songs on the album, “Looking Forward” and “Where We Started” playfully contrast each other. “Looking Foward” is sonically more consistant with it’s previous companions, “Love Is Risky” and “Too Late”, offering catchy hooks and clever musicianship. However, “Where We Started” is a bit more of a ballad that leads into the rest of the album, which is unlike the first three songs on Since Our Departure.

Songs like “Where We Started”, “It’s Not Over” and the album’s closer, “Seeing Clearly”, are written to sound more epic than the rest of the album. Whereas these songs may sound a bit similar, they all do their jobs well and paint wonderful pictures of the lyrics Capeci is singing. Of these three songs, “It’s Not Over” stands out the most with epic, arena-like rock riffs and big, powerful gang vocals.

Songs like “New Year” and “Sense and Senses” on Since Our Departure help to round out the album, giving Dinner and a Suit’s release more of a rock edge.

The album also has a couple of filler tracks on it, “Let Everyone Who Has A Voice, Sing” and “Waking or Sleeping” which add to the experience of the album, tying it together and making it almost feel like a concept album.

Since Our Departure is mature, passionate and well crafted. Dinner and a Suit have cultivated more than fairly respectable album with this release. I think the group has a lot of potential as great musicians to grow within themselves and become one of the bigger pop/rock bands in today’s music scene. I know that I’m definitely interested to see what they do next.

SCORE: 7.5/10
Review written by: Anthony Galasso

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Anthony Galasso

A native of New Brunswick, NJ, Anthony graduated from Rutgers University majoring in Journalism & Media Studies. He loves music, design, social networking and 'Rocky' movies. He also owns and operates his own clothing line, Breathe Atlantic.

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