"And fuck the Diaz Brothers! I bury those cockroaches!"
Well, after witnessing Diaz Brothers’ storming gig at London’s Hope & Anchor back in early January, how could we not check out their new record? ‘The World Is Yours’ (yep, that’s a ‘Scarface’ reference!) is the band’s second, after 2020’s self-titled debut, but the members are all old hands at this punk rock lark, having been active in other bands since the 80s.
Now mostly based in northern England, they set on the stall on opener ‘Be My Drug’; melodic punk rock with buzzsaw guitars and, topped off with Dave Golledge’s enjoyably raw-edged vocals. Don’t get us wrong, he’s not been gargling gravel, but he could probably get a Strepsils sponsorship. Make no mistake folks; these catchy tunes have plenty of bite.
‘Hourglass Full Of Quicksand’ is even better than its title; propelled along by a chunky power-chord riff and offset with lyrical melancholy, a trick that they’ve mastered to great effect throughout ‘The World Is Yours’. Not afraid to tackle subjects such as mental health troubles (‘As I Tear’) or self-important music industry types (‘Ego’), Diaz Brothers never once sound defeated or worn down in any way – and why would they with this kind of musical connection and inner fire?
As well as the likes of Samiam and Dag Nasty, the band also cite The Stooges and The Who as influences, and in terms of writing addictive songs whilst also making a bloody great racket, they’re right on the money. There are few surprises in store for seasoned fans here, save for some great Bad Religion-esque backing vocals on ‘The Great British Fake Toff’ (apparently written with a certain high-profile politician in mind) but that mattes little when the quality control is this high.
Apparently, at a typical Diaz Brothers rehearsal, “having a good doss is the primary aim, with a few nice tunes as a by-product”. Well, this is some excellent by-product you’ve got here, gentlemen, so enjoy some quality doss time – you’ve earned it.
‘The World Is Yours’ is available via Serial Bowl Records from June 6th.
- Be My Drug
- Hourglass Full Of Quicksand
- As I Tear
- Ego
- Anxiety Landslide
- Who Am I
- The Great British Fake Toff
- By My Side
- Departure Lounge
- Blink
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I spend my days teaching English to foreign students, and my evenings attending as many gigs as possible. Raised mainly on a diet of 90s third-wave punk, my tastes have grown to include just about anything from trad ska to thrash metal. The Ramones are my musical gods.
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