An eclectic and high-quality repertoire with tens of thousands of monthly listeners already speaks volumes, but this year New Jersey songwriter and artist Dave Vargo takes things to greater heights still, with the release of his beautifully crafted and performed album of heartfelt nostalgia Ghost Towns.
Beginning with the brilliantly organic groove and familiar, evocative vocals of Anything at all, Dave Vargo presents an uplifting and romanticised anthem, with pop-punk power chords and a hook that could find its way into Bruce Springsteen playlists and country, rock and Americana collections alike. It’s an instant earworm, with quiet verses thoughtfully paving the way towards a looping gem of a chorus.
Twelve new songs make up the colourful eclecticism of Ghost Towns, with Ghost Town following the opener to create a folk-rock stomp of an early acoustic highlight. Dave’s voice is softer here, the style more in keeping with acts like The Lumineers or Noah Kahan. Metaphors and personal anecdotes walk hand-in-hand, through another fine hit of songwriting and seamless performance.
Thoughts on life and strong grooves thread together a versatile setlist for this project. A New Life blends nostalgia with optimism and moving on, as a rock and roll backdrop lifts the energy a little. Always the writing, the voice, and the subtlety of the guitar solos and live rhythms keep that Dave Vargo identity alive and well, and this continues throughout the softer rock musings of a hopeful No Second Guessing.
We get life lessons, reflections both relatable and personal, and shoulder-swaying progressions that almost always brighten up for a catchy and energised chorus. Then for Let It Go, a stripped-back setting and modestly powerful vocal makes for a stunning highlight – a dreamy and inspiring listen that’s naturally a timeless favourite from Dave Vargo, and probably one of the most moving songs to grace the indie scene this year.
Something of a turning point within the album, Tales To Tell is brilliantly distinct in its guitar, bass and beat combination, and the sharp, snappy verse lines draw you into a poetic story that’s easy to make your own. Another highlight and a cool-sounding alternative track for the album.
We return to the soft-rock anthem and reflective depth for Not So Young, a song likely to connect with all who’ve seen the twists and turns of life’s pathways consistently prove unexpected and inescapable. Then for Hard, the mood softens again, the vulnerability and introspection paired with a single strum and quiet riff, as we fall into a deeply contemplative arena of nostalgia, longing, and realism. This one hits hard lyrically and melodically, and leads well into the lighter acoustic strum and observational, universal connection of Those Little Things.
All of these songs read like poems, but Dave’s voice is uniquely emotional at the same time, and the songs let the ideas ring out and linger in the heart and in the mind.
But I Do is beautiful, then bold for its chorus – a classic soft-rock anthem with brilliant production again lighting up the nuance and humanity of Dave Vargo’s writing and voice. After this, Promises takes an idea from the former song and builds upon it further, with rock guitar riffs, a 70’s stomp and a rise-and-fall verse pattern feeling familiar and satisfying. As ever, we look back on the past, on youth and the mindsets that made us, and connect those times to the way things are, the people we are now; the music accompanies and encourages that journey in a stark but settling manner.
There’s pain in the process, sometimes sadness in looking back without appreciation for the current times, but there’s also comfort in that shared experience, and Dave Vargo walks this line with grace and confidence.
Then to finish, rock riffs and instances of quiet countered by energy lets Where It Started conclude with another fine and heartfelt anthem – a final and lasting statement on the image of these Ghost Towns and the evolution of the self whilst still longing for the way things were.
It’s realism again, not filtered through rose-tinted lenses, but the music uplifts while the lyrics take hold, and in the end, Ghosts Towns is something focused, refreshingly honest, and understanding – a welcoming pleasure to lose yourself within for a while.
Find Dave Vargo on Facebook, Instagram.
