The term “Pop-punk” has always been a fundamentally flawed
one in my eyes. Punk is essentially the
term used to describe any art or media that subverts mainstream cultural norms,
and pop is quite literally the antithesis of this. Even the majority of the usual adages
associated with the genre (whiny vocals and lyrics, simple musical structures)
annoy me. Having said that, Dizzy Bats
negate much of my usual criticisms, using a mixture of deeply charming humour
and wit.
The opening song “With You I’m Dead” opens with the kind of
lyrics that I imagine could genuinely improve the entire genre were they widely
noted. I have a theory it’s perhaps a
step too far for Billy Joel Armstrong to come up with a lyric as darkly humorous
as, “You’re a ten and I’m just a Chinese six, what a masochist”. I genuinely laughed out loud at that
line. It’s an absolute subversion of
perhaps my main grievance with pop punk – self-deprecation that is utterly
devoid of introspective depth or intelligence.
Title track, “Until We Die” actually puts me more in mind of
The Fratellis than any pop-punk band I can name, with a catchy Brit-pop guitar
tone making up the main riff. The lyrics
here are either, from what I can deduce, a rather nihilistic deconstruction of
family life or about growing up in general.
Lines such as, “Pour it out, no more weed” find Connor Frost bemoaning
the new found maturity being thrown upon him, and the trials being an adult
leave him facing. The perceived
negativity stems from the repeated phrase “When we start to count down”, which,
when paired with the title, implicate a deeply pessimistic view of the ageing
process.
The pace is at its most exciting on the final track “Count
My Sheep”. I was actually most impressed
by the intricacy of the guitar passages on this track, as towards the end it
rattles and soars above the main melody.
Dizzy Bats have
certainly proven me to be wrong in generally going into any album that
describes itself as pop-punk with low expectations. The facetious dark wit on display here is
something I’ve admittedly never associated with this genre, but I welcome it as
a positive component to throw into the mix.
I can certainly recommend that you stream this EP, and maybe even
download it when it’s available, this band deserve your support.
Charlie McCartney
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