The genre emo has taken many forms over the years. One band, which has ultimately stuck by it and has actually helped elevate from its brooding underground to the heights, is Dashboard Confessional. The act, led by the enigmatic Chris Carrabba, has finely tuned their style straight from the early 2000s. But, one fine album, Dusk and Summer, drew in the crowd emphatically, by piecing together a romantic bond and triumphant hooks.

Dusk and Summer may have not been the most hardened album in the emo catalogue, but its fragility didn’t mean it would break into a million pieces and die off into the atmosphere. In truth, it was a record that had given Dashboard Confessional immediate success, bringing them forward onto bigger stages. Yes, the outfit had some small success with 3 albums prior, but Dusk and Summer really made them not only emo contenders but a household name.

The album had hooks and emotional relevance. Every song pointed to lovers and sinners, every lyric danced in a fevers dream. Carrabba, sang with pinpoint elegance too and raised the tempo when he needed to. He also conquered his own emotions on Dusk and Summer, giving his all to the cause, with his writing shining at every opportunity.

These songs were war cries, too. Under the impactful vocals were lyrical gems, shining not only because they were gloriously written, but because they were heartfelt monologues. Carrabba’s song writing raised the bar, and he studded these songs with lyrics that may have been slightly dark, but honourable. His level of poetry was now being acclaimed.

Dusk and Summer was seamless. Vastly improved. All songs were worth their weight in gold. Don’t Wait opened the record. It was such a perfect beginning to an emotional blockbuster. Carrabba sang fearlessly, letting the instrumentals reverberate around him. Stolen was another hit. Carrabba sang again with utter vigour. Again, the song was a standout. Rooftops And Invitations was a louder track, and Carrabba’s vocals didn’t surrender to the well-developed instrumentals, but grew brilliantly.

Dusk and Summer was a benchmark opus for not only emo but for Dashboard Confessional. Negativity did ripple through the record, but it struck a chord and gave the band a spotlight to develop even further.