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Die!Die!Die!: Promises, Promises

Die!Die!Die! give birth to their punk rock baby and it arrives shimmering, pulsing and fitfully loud. Three years after their debut self-titled release, these youngsters are all grown up. Produced by Shayne Carter (Dimmer, Straitjacket Fits) and recorded in a New York barn, the Auckland three-piece have bottled their infamous stage fever and relayed it on record. The album opens at full speed with the frenzied (love lament?) Blinding. Wilson’s pained vocals “I could never forget her ifI tried” ring out accompanied by an onslaught of cymbals and penetrating bass. Settling into their niche, the trio have arranged a stunningly cohesive collection of sharp little treats. The standout commercial track Sideways Here We Come is an well crafted punk pop hit. Manic numbers like Britomart Sunset and Throw a Fit showcase their more familiar punk thrash arsenal. This album boasts more mature arrangements, with a sense of deliberate twists and turns. Gnashing guitars and disjointed rhythms bloom into melodic, deliciously off centre, choruses. Lyrically, it’s a patchwork of young frustrations. Wilson’s phrases often disenchanted and disenfranchised: “I just want what I was promised”. Die!Die!Die! do themselves proud with an album that’s more venomous than a viper and catchier than mono.

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