Now on his sixth solo album, Dave Hause has a catalogue that fans, new and old, can get properly sunk into. Drive It Like It’s Stolen moves life on from 2021’s Blood Harmony. On that album, Hause wrote primarily about family life and the connection between siblings, inspired by writing with his own brother Tim and the fact he’d just had twin boys.
By now the formula of a Dave Hause album is fairly set, and fans will more or less know what they’re getting – after all, why fix something that isn’t broken? That said, the opening track, “Cheap Seats (New Years Day, NYC, 2042)”, is a shift from the norm. It’s an ominous opener led by synths and piano before resolving with more familiar guitars. “Pedal Down” is driven by strings, and “chainsaweyes” has a gloriously deep cello part which contrasts brilliantly with Hause’s voice. You could be forgiven for expecting “lashingout” to be a standard Americana fingerpicking guitar song, but the ragtime piano break is unexpected and brave. The diversity of tone in these songs is intriguing and illustrates the potential for Hause to push his songwriting palette even further.
The remainder of the album is more familiar Dave Hause territory: “Damn Personal” is a trademark sing-along chorus track; “Hazard Lights” chugs along with interwoven piano and vocal melodies; “The Vulturere” presents a big finish it’s worth sticking around for. They’re exactly the sounds you want to hear when you put on a Dave Hause album.
Where Hause excels again is in his lyrics. On previous work, he’s tackled relationship breakdown, politics, addiction and fatherhood and is no stranger to baring all across three and a half minutes. Of the album, Hause says he’s leant more on fictional characters to inspire a “post-apocalyptic Americana”, but his own experiences still shine through.
“Hazard Lights” explores the struggle of a former addict so committed to keeping in touch with a friend that they’ll go meet in a bar, “Low” could either be a commentary on addiction or mental health as Hause’s protagonist asks their partner, “Are you breaking down the door to scrape me off the floor, would you love me when I’m low?” “Pedal Down” comments on pushing on through a difficult time without fully dealing with it, and the album’s title track tries to find the balance between making the most of something you love while you have it and mourning its inevitable loss.
His subjects, characters and confessions are specific to his own experiences but written in a way that is universal and relatable. At ten tracks, Drive It Like It’s Stolen doesn’t overstay its welcome and has everything you’d want from a Dave Hause album. The flickers of experimentation with instruments and sounds put an interesting and modern twist on classic Americana, but ultimately it’s Hause’s lyrical prowess that’ll keep you coming back.
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