The Department Of Foreign Affairs fit in just fine around here. Mixing a country twang with rock and the occasional pop hook, their music can be excitingly diverse, but it's all rooted in toe-tapping, head-bobbing melodies and catchy choruses featuring pedal steel, strings, spot-on harmonies, and a piano that, a little surprisingly, fits right in with the rest.

DOFA keep their tracks wonderfully tight and clean, a reflection of the sleekness and professionalism in their songwriting and production.
The tunes are nice and simple, letting a listener get right into a song the first time around, but there are still plenty of layers left to dig through over repeated listens.

The end product is a sound that's perfect for a hot, sunny day... but one where you turn down playing volleyball (or checking out the ladies) at the beach in favor of climbing into a 4x4 and heading for a drive down a dirt road off Highway 7.

The band has kept busy playing shows, including a scorching set just the other week at NxNE, on the strength of their first two albums (Stories Up High and For Whatever Ails You) which were both released in 2004.
But listen for some new material in their coming dates, because they'll be releasing their third record sometime this summer.
Go see them live this Saturday at Zaphod's with The Diableros.

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From 2004's For Whatever Ails You:
--->Take A Picture (an opening line channeling neil young that oh-so-smoothly transitions into an old-fashioned clap-along)
--->Skeptic Tank (sweet sweet harmonies)

From their upcoming release:
--->stream 3 tracks

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