I finally experienced Dinner Party's latest album Whatchu Bringing?, in its entirety, and something that really stood out to me was the ensemble's approach to the project's intros and outros.
The intro "Stop Being Late" with J. Ivy is a poetic masterclass that is all about family, home, and values. The outro however, sits in a fascinating place between comforting and introspective, largely because of the vocals and the uplifting brass arrangements. There is pain and joy exuded by the vocals, and it's the cries of the sax across the foreground that add another layer of emotional depth, beautifully capturing the bittersweet feeling at the heart of the outro. The drums have this sluggish swing to them too, proving a groove that's bound to have our head swinging back and forth.
