Originally published in Tutti Frutti Magazine #3
Dead Finks have arrived in Berlin – while their last record, The Death and Resurrection of Jonathan Cowboy, has accomplished the seemingly impossible mission of making even the hottest Australian summer sound like a disturbingly cold winter night, this year’s album Eve of Ascension makes for a gratifying 9-track continuation of the two New Zealanders’ sound. But this time around: a bit more concise, produced more explosively, and channeling the same absurdist energy.
The album starts without hesitation, its title track marks an instant statement of the band’s recognizable sound – fast, loud, depressed? Anaesthetised brings us onto a speed trip that isn’t about to end any time soon: structurally, this is more than punk, and rather than political implications it carries the meaning of an individual’s crisis; a dirty feeling.
Melodies that the Pixies could have written
The vocal tone in some of the tracks is hinting at Joe Strummer in early Clash recordings, although the Dead Finks’ tunes are more carefully crafted and executed than old-school punk – they combine dirty egg punk production with melodies that, in the case of Answer, the Pixies could have written.
Shame is an absolute highlight of the record: a dusky, catchy look into an anxious mind that might just have had one bottle too much. Taking the wrong turn results in a never-ending guitar solo that digs deeper and deeper, and Joseph Thomas’ singing is born out of despair, an existential cry for help. Masking brings out facets of The Fall in their rather melodic moments, imperfect guitars and dirty tones evoke an elevated DIY feeling that sticks with us in emotional moments.
Post-punk written for those on the edge
Because even though Dead Finks are speaking through a façade of angry guitars and fast drum tracks, their expression is highly emotional; their melodies convey a unique rawness, anger, disappointment. It’s post-punk written for those on the edge; a highly subjective, paranoid outlook on the state of whatever they are discussing, and packed with memorable melodies in every track.
Propane Tanks gives us flashbacks of the Dead Finks’ previous offering Jonathan Cowboy: the band has nailed their sound, and it’s exactly what one was craving after that album. Let’s face it, tracks like Baby and Pissing have accompanied me on meaningful U-Bahn rides late at night in the way that only local music can. Knowing that someone saw these same U-Bahn walls and went on to write a song like Baton – it’s irreplaceable. This album is an absolute gem, and probably this year’s Berlin highlight for me.
Original page design for Tutti Frutti Magazine #3.