Dead Dads Club – Dead Dads Club (Universal) (13th Floor Album Review)
British act Dead Dads Club are releasing their self-titled debut. The name might be a give-away as to the themes they will be covering on this catchy LP which I really enjoyed.
I’ll happily disclose that I rolled the dice on reviewing this. After becoming unsatisfied with the Spotify algorithm feeding me the same eight or nine songs, I got into writing reviews as an avenue find new and stimulating music. And it didn’t take particularly long into opener, Only Just Begun (1:23 to be precise) for me to decide that this was a goodie.
The outfit is fronted by Chilli Jesson. Perhaps you remember him from the band Palma Violets? I’ll happily disclose (again) I was oblivious to the band myself (despite trying to do similar things in the same country at a very similar time!). But their garage indie-rock sound is something else I’d happily roll the dice on. Anyway, that band ended (and for some reason the rest of the members all started a new band without him). After another not-so-successful attempt with the band Crewel Intentions, and landing on his feet as part of the touring band of Fontaines DC; Jesson is back with Dead Dads Club.
Musically, you’ll find an assortment of fairly predictable influences jammed into this self-titled debut. Possibly what I liked most about it was that each song felt like a new journey into exploring the genre. No, there’s nothing especially groundbreaking. And the tracks don’t sporadically try to jump through as many differently styled parts as humanly possible. Yet they all have their quirks. The latest single Volatile Child sounds like a fairly linear second-album-from-Albert Hammond Jr clone, but is saved (for me) by a pretty killer outro. Yet in the next song we’re greeted by brooding synths and over compressed drums in the catchy Humming Wires. It doesn’t stop there! We get stoner basslines and Pixies-esque bends driving us in the next number (and latest single) Goosebumps.
Losing his father in his early teens, Jesson has used his inner demons not just as a clever name for the band, but as the pivotal theme for the debut. He’s been joined by his longtime collaborator (who also appears to play a bit of guitar one the record) Rupert Greaves. Lyrically, expect to be thrown into the gritty details of losing someone in adolescence and dealing with it deeply over time. However, it’s not shoved directly in your face like an early noughties’ emo band. Through my listens, I could feel the gutsy attitude of someone who has been through a lot. Yet listening to Running Out of Gas (a song about strained relationships) gave me more mild Flaming Lips vibes than a melancholic song by The Smiths.
With Carlos O’Connell (Fontaines DC) in production duties, Dead Dads Club has ended up with a decent debut. And while it’s safe to say they haven’t necessarily deviated far from what you might find on a modern indie record, there are still brilliant moments of innovation. It’s a really catchy bunch of songs and I’m excited to hear more from Chilli Jesson and co.
Daniel Edmonds
Dead Dads Club is out now via Universal Music
