Dayseeker - Dark Sun (LP) - Black w/ White Splatter Vinyl

Dayseeker’s Dark Sun is the kind of late-night record that turns a quiet drive into a confessional. The Orange County band had already pivoted toward a more spacious, synth-forward sound on Sleeptalk, but this November 2022 follow-up on Spinefarm lands with even more intent. It’s tighter, moodier, and emotionally unguarded, with Rory Rodriguez steering the whole thing through a voice that never needs to shout to make the words sting.

You can hear the album’s heart beating hardest on Neon Grave. Rodriguez has said the record was shaped by losing his father and becoming a parent in the same stretch of time, and that weight is everywhere in the writing. Neon Grave moves like grief actually feels, lurching between numb verses and a chorus that crashes in all at once. The synths glow electric blue, the guitars sit just behind them like vapor trails, and the rhythm section keeps it steady while the lyrics do the heavy lifting. It set the tone when it was rolled out as a single, and it still sets the tone for the album.

Without Me follows with a soaring hook that could have been a radio staple in another era. Dayseeker knows how to turn pain into something you can sing with your whole chest, and this one proves it. Homesick pushes the quiet-loud dynamic even further. It creeps in like a memory you were trying to ignore and then swells into a room-filling chorus. Crying While You’re Dancing might be the clearest sign of where the band has grown. It leans into neon-lit synth pop without losing the band’s core melancholy, the kind of track you catch yourself moving to before the lyrics cut a little too close. The title track, Dark Sun, ties the album’s themes together with a slow burn that rewards a patient listen.

Producer Daniel Braunstein helps the band thread that line between post-hardcore roots and widescreen alt-pop. Guitars still matter here, but they’re often textural, wrapping around glassy keys and warm sub-bass rather than charging ahead. It suits Rodriguez, who spends most of the album in thoughtful, controlled territory, letting tone and phrasing do what harsh vocals used to do. The restraint is a choice, and a smart one. When he climbs into the top of his range on a chorus, it hits harder because the song took its time getting there.

What makes Dark Sun work isn’t just the polish though. It’s the specificity. The lyrics feel lived in. Small details hang around after the music fades. There’s a sense that the band is writing about the hard corners of adulthood with honest eyes, not as a posture or a brand. That’s why fans latched onto these songs so quickly when they hit the setlist. You could hear rooms take a breath during Neon Grave on tour, and you could feel the release when Without Me kicked in.

Critics picked up on it too. Publications that covered the record when it dropped noted the sharpened songwriting and the way the band’s shift toward melody doesn’t erase their intensity. If Sleeptalk was the pivot, Dark Sun is the proof that the move wasn’t a one-off. It’s a front-to-back listen that makes sense as an album, not just a string of singles.

If you collect Dayseeker vinyl, this is one that begs for a late spin, lights low, needle slightly warm. The quieter passages open up in the room and the low end hugs the floorboards. Hunting for Dark Sun vinyl is easy enough these days, and it pairs neatly on the shelf with Sleeptalk if you’re lining up Dayseeker albums on vinyl. If you prefer to buy Dayseeker records online, most big shops stock it, but it’s also the kind of title you stumble upon at a Melbourne record store while flipping through new arrivals. I’ve sent more than a few friends in vinyl records Australia circles straight to it with zero regrets.

Dark Sun captures a band not just evolving but settling into a voice that feels fully their own. It’s vulnerable without being soft, glossy without losing teeth, and built to last beyond the hype cycle. Put it on for the drive home when the streets are empty and the thoughts are loud. It knows exactly what that hour feels like.