Dysfunktone is a four piece jam rock band from Long Island, comprised of Rob Meza (guitar/vocals), Brandon Hanna (guitar/keyboards/vocals), David Wolfsohn (bass/vocals), and Dakota Henry (drums). The group released their first studio effort in 2017 with EP, Illegitimate Business, a mix of funk, rock, soul and rap, that gave the world its first look into the band’s sound. Last month Dysfunktone put out their first full length record, Collective Perspective, which expands on their melting pot sound and gives the world a detailed look at what the group is capable of.
Collective Perspective features a fairly consistent vibe throughout the album, creating this dreamy, sonic landscape that each track seems to relate back to. The music flows, yet is progressive and funky, and lyrical themes deal with different aspects of life that the majority of listeners can relate to.
“Dementia,” is a highlight of the album, with lyrics coming from the perspective of a person dealing with the confusing headspace of dementia, such as: “swim in memories, but always drown, my thoughts are nowhere to be found, my world is upside down.” The musicianship on the track is impressive, melding reggae vibes of the verses with the swirling, psychedelic sounds of the chorus and funky interstitial sections, all crescendoed by a blazing guitar solo that drops the tune into its instrumental counterpart, “Reflection Collection.”
Another highlight is “Hourglass,” which is part of a larger suite of songs that flow into each other, preceded by “Clouded” and “Mirror.” The track features just a handful of verses, and is instrumental for the majority of the song, but the lyrics leave the listener inspired to take hold of their life and make themselves who they want to be. The instrumental section flies through several different musical styles and the tension builds with each shift, with just the last minute of the track bouncing from progressive riff rock to a middle eastern sound and into a heavy metal breakdown -exemplifying that melting pot sound, mentioned before.
The aforementioned “Clouded” is a song worth checking out, melding its laid back, yet dark lyrics with its funky instrumental sections, featuring the best solo on the album.
Collective Perspective as an album is a good representation of Dysfunktone’s sound, merging several different genres together to create an album that takes the listener on a musical journey, though it could improve on one thing. Some of the songs sound a little too similar musically during the lyrical sections, all sharing that flowy sound mentioned earlier, which helps keep the vibe of the album consistent, but leaves the listener kind of tired of that sound by the end of the album. That being said, the album as a whole works well, and the musicianship on tracks like “Toasty” and “Feelin’ Time” is really impressive. The album is definitely worth listening to if you’re a fan of jam rock. Catch Dysfunktone at Art Jam 2019 in Whitingham, VT from September 6-8 and purchase Collective Perspective on the group’s Bandcamp here.
Key Tracks: Dementia, Toasty, Clouded, Mirror, Hourglass