German grunge band unveil their 7th long player on Noisolution Records
This band is a new one to me, but they’ve obviously been around for a while, as ‘Glue‘ is Daily Thompson‘s 7th album release. I like the band’s name, and I’m assuming they’re not named after the well-known, Olympic decathlon winning athlete from the 1980’s? This particular Daily Thompson though, are musically inspired by late 80″s/early 90’s grunge music, made particularly popular at its epicentre in Seattle, USA. When naming bands, Daily Thompson are said to be influenced by the likes of Sonic Youth, Alice In Chains, Dinosaur Jnr and Smashing Pumpkins. Their last album, ‘Chuperosa‘ was met with critical acclaim, and this new album was recorded at the aforementioned HQ of grunge in Port Orchard, Seattle. Tony Reed is back once again at the producing helm and is also a guest musician on ‘Glue‘.
Daily Thompson are:
Danny Zaremba – Vocals and guitar
Mercedes Lalakakis-Bee – Bass
Thorsten ‘Babblz’ Stratmann – Drums
The album’s opener, ‘Heart Of Bones‘ quickly indicates to me that this band are maybe coming from more of the indie side of the grunge spectrum. I can hear echoes of Dinosaur Jnr, and Danny’s vocals definitely remind me of J. Mascis, which is okay by me. “You left me standing alone”, Danny sings, almost reminding me of the sounds that Bob Mould‘s Sugar used to make. ‘Workout‘ begins with a Sonic Youth style wonky guitar line, in a song that wouldn’t look out of place on the classic ‘Daydream Nation‘ album. They tell us to “Stop…..and go!”, before imploring us to “Do the workout.” It’s a catchy number that’s also slightly sultry and moody, which takes us fittingly to the next song.
‘Fake A Smile‘ has a mellow acoustic, stripped-down guitar intro where Danny says he “faked a smile just to survive.” The next song ‘Chains’ is grungy in a kind of Pearl Jam way. It’s a dramatic and anthemic song with some pleasing unpredictable chord structures within its break. An album highlight for me!
‘B.T.K‘ is one of the lead singles from the album, and a song where bassist Mercedes steps up to lead vocals for the first time. Mercedes explains; “This song took time to take shape; it was a process that lasted over two years. It is also the first time the lyrics were chosen to capture the feeling of victimhood and the emotional journey from hope to fierceness. In the end, the victim longs for release. The song portrays an experience that no woman should ever have to endure, while at the same time celebrating the strength, resilience, and empowerment of women.” The song begins with bass, drums and a clean guitar sound, before going into quite a funky chorus. The beat will be sure to get your toe tapping and Mercedes’ vocals remind me of Kim Gordon‘s in their delivery. It’s quite a long song, but it’s another album highlight for me.
A sole guitar leads us into the next song, ‘Here I Stand’, which could almost be a track from Nirvana‘s ‘Bleach‘ album back in the day. The chorus rocks out too, nicely taking us to the penultimate track on the album. ‘SIAM‘ has a heavy stoner rock vibe, and I can visualise low-slung guitars, and band members leaning forward with their hair in their eyes. Daily Thompson did some tour dates with Monster Magnet at one point, and I could see this song going down well with that crowd! This infectious 8-track album ends with ‘Lovebugs‘, where the band sing that, “They are crawling right through my heart.” A catchy chorus inhabits this song, and “We are the lovebugs!” is the album’s closing shot.
‘Glue‘ is an album that features reasonably long songs that are in no rush to get anywhere. The tone of the album, right down to the cover art, feels autumnal, and these often unpredictable songs have a knack of getting under your skin. You find yourself listening intently, wondering what’s going to happen next. It’s an entertaining listen, and if you like your rock music of a grunge-like variety, then be sure to grab yourself a copy of the album from the link below. Daily Thompson are also about to embark on a UK/Euro tour, so check out the dates and get yourself along!
Buy your copy of ‘Glue‘ from HERE
- Heart Of Bones
- Workout
- Fake A Smile
- Chains
- B.T.K
- Here I Stand
- SIAM
- Lovebugs
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I have been writing reviews for Brighton & Hove News, and more recently Vive Le Rock magazine for a few years now. Previously, I could be spotted playing drums for many a band over the decades. A noisy habit developed whilst wearing short trousers at school, and one that has had me touring around the UK and Europe. Punk rock is my life, but I am also quite eclectic. I am an avid gig go-er and music devourer, and can feel out of sorts if a gig date is not on the horizon. I have also been known to put gigs on myself in order to fill those gaps.
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