"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
Follow Diaz Brothers on Their Socials:
Need more Punk In Your Life?
EP Review: the barnstorming ‘Two Bucks and a Bottle of Ketchup’ from The Ovines
When The Ovines set out to record ‘Two Bucks and a Bottle of Ketchup’, they weren’t just making music, they were documenting the messy raw
Album review: Moving Targets – ‘Red Eyes’
Appropriately enough, considering that Moving Targets are a noisy trio from Massachusetts, much of this record brings to mind fellow noisy American trios Dinosaur Jr
EP Review: Infamous Stiffs release ‘The Ornery Six’
Infamous Stiffs’ latest EP is entitled ‘The Ornery Six’. This cool new release from Golden Robot Records can’t go wrong, especially if you enjoy your
Live Review: Bright N Sleazy Festival at Daltons, Brighton, 11-13th July 2025
The seagulls of Brighton were in for a treat last weekend, as they were to be served a generous helping of Punk Rock to go
On The Cinder, Kingston Fighting Cocks, 17th July 2025
The Buffalo trio seemingly couldn’t care less that the Fighting Cocks is obviously not sold out – they’re far from home, and stoked that anyone
EP review: Darko – ‘Canvas’
Yes, this EP is the third in a conceptually-linked trilogy, but these folks are progressive in the sense that they’ve stuffed (or should that be
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.
Did you know that we are 100% DIY? We run our own game. No one dictates to us, and no one drives what we can or cannot put on our pages – and this is how we plan to continue!
