Patrick Doval’s loud return to rock takes the shape of a thrashing punk anthem, packed with a remarkable vocal delivery, a punchy production job, a load of energy, and a top-notch feeling of momentum. ‘Back Home’ never settles, in fact quite the opposite -a rowdy song that keeps on giving.
Floridian, based in Miami, Patrick Doval is an understated musical mastermind with an aesthetic so deceptively fresh that it genuinely caught me by surprise. Accompanied once more by drummer Pete Parada and his machine-gun beats, Doval takes the term Lo-fi to new realms. Doval resides in an area where the very simplicity of the elements in his work is where a great deal of the personality and the nuance is to be found. On the surface, ‘Back Home’ is a driving tune, full of high-octane riffage, chugging bass and guitar lines, howled vocals, and a simple production that is just so charmingly straightforward. Even the video, again masterminded by Doval, looks like a cut-and-paste job from an amateur photographer. But digging in -just a little beneath the surface- will reveal a fleshed-out world with a scenario, settings, and a whole artistic direction that’s based on looking stripped down and simple.
It struck me the moment the fantastic, flanger-heavy solo kicked in, and how the production just seemed to momentarily tighten up just beautifully, that Doval knows a lot more about his craft than the simplicity of the aesthetic shows. And it takes a lot of dedication to be as talented as that man and choose to display yourself in this goofy, lighthearted manner. Patrick Doval is a true breath of fresh air. In a world where musicians seem to enjoy waging battles of overproduction -on all fronts- comes Doval, who’s here just to rock out and put a smile on our faces.
