Picture this: salt in the air, sand stuck to your legs, the tang of sunscreen lingering as the sun dips below the waves. That’s DIVE, Almost Monday’s debut album, an album that’s like flipping through Polaroids of late summer nights and endless days with your best friends. This Southern California trio—Dawson Daugherty, Cole Clisby, and Luke Fabry—has crafted an album that’s not just a listen but a nostalgic experience, packed with 11 tracks that blend surfy guitars, irresistible hooks, and that special kind of warmth you only get from real sunshine.

The title track “Dive” opens like the beginning of a dream, channeling a retro feel reminiscent of ‘50s and ‘60s choruses. Its lyrics (“Hoping you’ll remember me / Hoping it’s not just a dream”) set a wistful tone before the band jumps into the vibrant, sun-drenched world of “Is It Too Late?”, where guitars echo and the upbeat tempo feels like racing down a coastal road. You can almost feel the salt air and taste oranges with every beat.

Through tracks like “Never Enough” and “You Look So Good”, Almost Monday delivers catchy tunes that balance the sweetness of new love with all its uncertainties. In “Never Enough”, the lyrics, “You’re my favorite part of every day / No, I never really say it enough,” capture a simple, heart-on-sleeve confession that’s endlessly relatable.

One of the album’s standout songs, “Jupiter”, takes listeners on a journey to space fueled by 80s-inspired sounds. DIVE’s return trip to Earth is with “Life Goes By”, where the trio captures the bittersweet truth that, like the best summer days, all good things must come to an end. With this album, Almost Monday delivers not just a collection of songs, but an audial trip that transports you back to your best summer memories.

DIVE is available now on Apple Music, Spotify, or wherever you listen to music.