ALBUM REVIEW: On ‘Roll It Out,’ The Deslondes Make It Sound So Easy

Sometimes, even after a period of fruitful reinvention, it helps to go back to the root of the thing. The Deslondes, one of the most consistent bands putting out music today, are doing just that with their latest release, Roll It Out. After the extensions and experiments of 2022’s Ways & Means, the group is taking a back-to-basics approach with this new set, a callback to the days when they’d gather to play and jam together just for fun. Even the music video for single “Take Me Back” is an homage to times gone by, with strung-together footage of their many years together. Armed with a new drummer (Howe Pearson) and a nostalgic energy, The Deslondes are at their loosest with Roll It Out.

Anchored mainly by the wildly different vocals of Sam Doores and Riley Downing — arguably at two opposite ends of a sonic spectrum — The Deslondes wrap their arms around any and all genres, just like they always have.

Downing’s lowdown growl kicks up dust on tunes like the made-for-singalong, “Hold On Liza” and the slinky groove “Who Really Loses.” Doores’ laidback twang brings extra levity to an already buoyant tune, “Mercury on Parade,” and the melancholic bar anthem, “Pour Another Round.”

All the band’s members have writing credits on Roll it Out, each in their own way looking back at what was to make sense of what is. One lone JJ Cale cover, “Drifter’s Wife,” closes things out with a big group harmony that feels like a proper farewell after a night of debauchery, the likes of which can only be had with the greatest of friends.

Whether they’re singing the blues or a folk or country tune, there’s an ease to the way The Deslondes make songs together. This is as evident on the record as it is at one of their live shows. Roll It Out captures that sweet spot when each finds a way to bring their singular ingredient to the mix, shaken and served straight-up.

The Deslondes’ Roll It Out releases Sep. 6 on New West Records