Those Darlins Screws Get Loose

Despite the title, Screws Get Loose, is wonderfully tight and Those Darlins' latest succeeds with catchy, country tinged rock-and-roll with a healthy dose of humor.

Those Darlins' sound is refreshingly difficult to place. There are undeniable hints of country from their Tennessee roots, though decidedly less than on their 2008 self-titled debut. Lead singer Jessi Darlin seems to have toned down the drawl, but enough remains to color the vocals. Screws Get Loose takes many sonic cues from rockabilly and would be as at home in New York City as Nashville.

After only a few spins, Screws Get Loose becomes familiar, in a good way. The impulse to sing along becomes difficult to resist and makes the album even more fun. The humor is light-hearted, clever and resists stagnation; “I just wanna run and play in the dirt with you / You just wanna stick it in,” from Be Your Bro or “Starvin' for something and it ain't your touch / Baby, baby, baby too hungry to uhh” from Fatty Needs a Fix.

However, humor doesn't mean that the album is completely devoid of emotion. Hives combines humor, rashes and desire and transforms the refrain “You give me hives” into an oddly endearing compliment, while Boy is pitch-perfect as the album's “ballad.” Boy laments the difficulty of making connections as a touring musician, “Want to take it slow / but babe I've got to roll / to the next show”; “I'll see you around / you never let me down / you just live in the wrong town.” It resists sentimentality and fits comfortably with the other tracks.

Screws Get Loose probably won't change your life, but if you're rocking out to Those Darlins in a bar, at a party or in the car, drinking some beer (in a bar or at a party, not in a car), you won't want your life to change that much anyway.