When Panther Press editors walked into the media lab after school on Wednesday, October 16, the last thing we expected was a package of ten posters from a band nobody had heard of. 

And yet, there it was.

Naturally, the random gift prompted some research into the band.

Almost Monday is a San Diego-based indie-pop band mainly known for their song “Only Wanna Dance,” which has been heavily advertised on Hulu. 

They toured with Joywave and The Driver Area in 2022 and opened for AJR on the Maybe Man tour. They released their debut album, Dive, in September of this year.

Now, you probably want to know the answer to the question we were all thinking when we saw the posters: is the album any good? 

My answer is a resounding yes.

The album starts with the title track, “Dive,” which features almost eerie harmonies and summery lyrics, but my favorites on the album are the tracks in the middle. The album really started to pick up at the beginning of “Is it too late,” when true indie-pop began to come out. 

The tunes are energetic, fun, and full of summery energy reminiscent of past summer hits from Tai Verdes and Nicky Youre. The lyrics sometimes left something to be desired, but the good energy of the guitar, drums, and synth more than made up for it.

My favorite track on the album has to be “She Likes Sports,” even though, ironically enough, I don’t really like sports. The song has an amazing build and is just very catchy. It’s fun and energetic, and the lyrics reflect that. 

The album was just a fun time—even my parents got into it. They are heading to the DIVE tour in February to see it performed live. Definitely tune in for a lighthearted, lively, summery listening experience.