Spindle Radar: almost monday Are Making Waves With Their Debut Album, DIVE

Californian trio almost monday are ready to carve a new wave in their emerging career with their debut album DIVE. Hailing from San Diego, Dawson Daugherty, Cole Clisby, and Luke Fabry first began their musical journey in high school. Following their serendipitous formation, the longtime friends wasted no time honing their craft, creating music that blends the sweet sounds of nostalgic surf-rock with modern indie-pop. The trio also gained performing experience, playing various garage jams and DIY gigs within their dreamy coastal city.

However, in January 2020, almost monday made their official leap into the music industry when they released their debut single, ‘parking lot view.’ Since that fateful day, the trio has emerged as a band to watch, spawning additional hits like ‘come on come on’ and ‘broken people.’ While Dawson, Cole and Luke have kept music listeners fed with plenty of singles and an EP, the band entered a new era of their musical journey with the release of their debut album, DIVE. Described as a “coming-of-age” record, the album explores themes of nostalgia and the magic of getting older. We were able to chat with almost monday about the aforementioned record, their single ‘she likes sports,’ opening for The Driver Era, their upcoming tour and more. Read their full interview below.

Hey almost monday! Congratulations on your latest single, ‘she likes sports.’ It’s absolutely fantastic! What sparked the creation of this track? 

Luke – We had been playing a lot of tennis with our producer to get outside and get some sun during the writing process of the album. We were making jokes about writing something about tennis or something sporty, which eventually led us to this song. 

Your music has such a feel-good sound, like the perfect summer day. How would you three personally describe your art? 

Luke – citrus 

Dawson – Feel good indie sunshine 

Your debut album, DIVE, is out now. How does it feel to have created your very first record? How long has it been in the works? 

Luke – It feels really cool to have created our first album. It’s something that all of us have looked forward to for our favorite bands to do, so it’s been kind of a surreal process to make our own. People talk about how it takes your whole life to create your first album, and in a lot of ways, I find that to be true. We’ve learned a lot being in a band and writing together which I think comes to a point on DIVE. 

What was your creative process for DIVE? Is there a theme or message you want music listeners to take in?

Dawson: We wanted this album to feel like a very true snapshot of who we are at this time in our lives. We kept talking about the record feeling like a polaroid – point, shoot, let it develop, and it is what it is. 

Which track on the record were you guys most excited for people to hear and why? 

Cole: I’m excited for our fans to finally have ‘you look so good,’ it’s a song we’ve been playing live for a while now, and I’m stoked for people to be able to listen to the record and come to the show knowing the song.

Let’s take it back a bit. What’s the origin story behind almost monday? How did you three meet?

Dawson: Me and Luke have known each other since we were like 7, so we really grew up together. I met Cole through surfing when we were in high school. At that time, Luke and I were starting the band, so we asked Cole to join. The rest is history! 

San Diego is an absolute dream! What do you love most about the city?

Dawson: I think the people. Our friends, family, and community are truly the best people in the world. And also the beaches & waves! Long sunny days down there, and it’s the best.

Is there an artist or album that continues to influence your music?

Cole: We’re always inspired by different artists and albums all the time that we’re discovering, but some bands we’ve continuously been inspired by for a while have been The Strokes, The Beach Boys, MGMT, Phoenix  …to name a few 

You guys are currently on tour with The Driver Era. How has it been sharing the stage with Rocky and Ross Lynch? Which stop has been your favourite so far?

Cole: We love those boys and it’s always a pleasure sharing the stage with them on tour. Their fans are amazing and have the best energy. One of my favorite shows, maybe ever, was opening for them in Mexico City. 

Will we see a headline almost monday tour in the future?

Cole: Yes, stay tuned for some exciting news ;).

How have you grown as a band since dropping your debut single ‘parking lot view’ in 2020? 

Dawson: I think sonically, we’ve grown a lot, and really found ourselves and not what we thought we should be. That takes time, but I’m really glad we allowed ourselves to come back more to our roots. 

Looking ahead, what are the top five goals you each would like to accomplish?

Cole:

1. Sell out our own world tour

2. Play lots of festivals around the world

3. Put out a great sophomore album 

4. Build a filmic visual world behind the music

5. Inspire others to create and play music

Check out almost monday’s new album DIVE here or below.

For more information about tickets for almost monday’s forthcoming headline tour, ‘The Dive Tour,’ click here.

See below for EU/UK tour dates.

MAR 22 – LONDON, UK @ Garage

MAR 24 – BRISTOL, UK @ Bristol Exchange
MAR 25 – BIRMINGHAM, UK @ Mama Roux’s
MAR 27 – GLASGOW, UK @ King Tut’s
MAR 28 – MANCHESTER, UK @ Deaf Institute
MAR 29 – DUBLIN, IRELAND @ Green Room