It’s very rare that I receive a new band’s three track demo and think ‘ooh, this is actually pretty good’ – but fuck me, this is actually really good. Dead Identities only played their first gig two weeks ago, but the three songs here are fast, furious and catchy as hell blasts of punk rock with a real UK twist. Imagine Vanilla Pod or Fletcher with songs extra catchy and you’re half way to hearing how good this band are. Opener ‘Long Way Out’ switches from a glorious slab of melodic pop-punk to a thudding breakdown which references bands like Screeching Weasel as well as the aforementioned UK acts.
‘Sally Grew Up’ is faster and not quite as good – it reminds me of Bad Religion for some reason – while ‘Got It Good’ sounds like Lookout-era Green Day; all polished hooks and dirty guitar riffs that get stuck inside your head. For me it’s the emphasis the band place on song structures and hitting some of the catchiest choruses from a UK band I’ve heard in ages that make this stand out. Check these guys out; they remind me of the bands I first started getting into seven or eight years ago and while that shouldn’t make these guys refershingly different, in a world where everyone’s seemingly pissed off at their parents, this is something to cherish.
www.deadidentities.com
Paul