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Liberator 6.1
The Dears
Gang of Losers
(Arts & Crafts)

Called it and stamped it. "Ticket to Immortality" has already and so easily become a road trip favorite. This pulsating track can be actualized off The Dears’ third full-length accomplishment "Gang of Losers". Montreal’s most prized crew of underdogs have once again melted orchestral pop arrangements with cinematic cadences within this release. But Ticket to Immortality is just a glimpse into the porthole of velvety torment The Dears will tickle you with in Gang of Losers. “There Goes My Outfit” and “Find Our Way to Freedom” are proof that Lightburn has further perfected his infectious crooning tactics and cryptically-catchy lyrical ability. Clearly, he has no problem showing it off just a little in this pretty collection, a soundtrack for the ugliest of optimists. Synth-soaked and introspective as its almost-autumn release date, it’s very difficult not to sink into Gang of Losers' vulnerable and melodic retro-action. This is an honest evolution upwards for The Dears. At first (second and third) listen, there is no resisting Lightburns’ candid and emotive soliloquies amid the soaring guitars. It’s as if every word is being whispered only to his shoulder… with you the listener perched atop it and taken for the ride of his most intimate observations. The album is undoubtedly an ethereal rock treatment. Perhaps as melancholy as you would expect from The Dears, you still cannot help but hold tightly to their beautiful anguish. Frequently obvious comparisons to the New Pornographers and The Doves or the over-rated comment of Lightburn being the iconic “black Morissey” wither in the glory of this effort. Gang of Losers is more than just another Canadian indie rock contribution. The album and its climactic title track are pleasant oddities that we hope stay just a thread’s width below the radar, so it remains the private (albeit cult) favorite we march to in the rain. Standout tracks “White Only Party”, “Fear Made The Word Go’Round”
(Rina Espiritu)