Daniel Romano’s Outfit

I’d say that Daniel Romano’s Outfit has had an untouchable run of late, but, honestly, the band’s rarely off their form. From a pandemic productivity that would put most to shame to a more recent return to the road, the band has stolen fire from the gods and given it back to us as a catalog coursing with rock’s lifeblood. Cobra Verde widened the palette, Too Hot To Sleep embraced punk’s spirit, but Preservers of the Pearl is a pure distillation of the band’s studio prowess. It stalks R&B rubdowns, shines in shivers of folk and soul, and revels in letting riffs tower to their fullest heights. In many ways this album is the true follow-up to How Ill The World Is Ordered. Like that record it prowls the halls of the studio, transmuting sweat to tape and squeezing soul through the tubes. Unlike that album, this is a true family affair.

As Julianna Riolino has departed completely for her solo work, this album finds the lineup of Romano, brother Ian, Carson McHone, and Tommy Major exploring their dynamic in full. Ian Romano and Carson both contribute songwriting this time, and there’s a joy inherent in the record that can’t be tamped down. The record bleeds from one song to the next, skidding through ‘70s radio workouts like “Cardinal Star” and “Firebreather.” It pounces on the paws of power pop, but always pushes for something a bit bigger than the genre can contain. There’s a greater emphasis on group harmonies this time, digging into the roots of their sound in welcome ways.

Romano has hinted at fuller arrangements in the past with duets from Riolino and McHone, but on something like “Playing With The Wild” the band’s entering their Fleetwood phase without trading sincerity for saccharinity. The Outfit reimagines rock as a tent revival for the restless, a church of dashed dreams and determined resolve. The choruses soar like choirs, the drums pound and pulse. Guitars favor the guilty, but we’re washed clean and cured, lifted up and set free. There’s always been something transformative about rock but it’s been a few years since someone truly tripped the switch. This is that album and more.