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Review: 'Dealing With Damage'
'Use The Daylight'   

-  Label: 'Little Rocket Records/Bandcamp'
-  Genre: 'Indie' -  Release Date: '27.1.23.'

Our Rating:
Use The daylight is the second album by Indie-Punk super group Dealing With Damage who feature members of among other band The Sniveling Shits, Desperate Measures NZ, Done Lying Down, Sink, K-line, The Stupids, Billy No Mates and many others.

This is the follow up to the band's debut album Ask The Questions that came out just as the pandemic hit, instead of touring that album they recorded this album, with John Hannon producing it, sadly he died far too young and Pat Collier helped them complete the album. Including the wonderful tribute to Mr Hannon that is John's Gone. Dealing With Damage are Ed Wenn, James Sherry, Andy Myers and Paul Grier, with a few extra guests.

The album opens with the slow pretty evocation of being out in the daylight at Sunrise, with acoustic guitars and shimmering keyboards, this was not what I expected to open this album, but it sounds like a golden morning call.

Walking Backwards Into The Future amps things up to where I was expecting them to be, angry bruised vocals and guitars, this pounds its way into your brain, as they try to figure out how to make themselves bigger. As they resign themselves to always having that sour taste at the back of their throats, telling reviewers like me that comparisons are useless, yep they sound like These Animal Men.

Instrument uses the discordant guitars to ensure you understand how serious they are about doing what they want, using that staccato rhythm to ram the point home, as it breaks down it becomes almost gentle as they claim to be the Instrument that won't give up on you. So go buy the record and let them save you.

Bigots v The Mad Professor has a live feel with Pat Collier introducing this blast of hardcore action-packed sturm und drang, as they ponder on the brief consequences of doing nothing, to quote one of the band's lyrical gems as this flies by in a blur.

Rinse Repeat Rinse is hard edged power pop punk designed to be chanted along too, as the guitar soars, all you need to do is be ready to chant along some more, just like the way life repeats itself constantly.

Keep Moving has a harmony vocal intro that makes this a soul punk interlude. Leading into making Bombs Make Us Feel Safe a slow deliberate look at the madness of the military industrial complex, the never ending need to make a bigger bomb, do more damage, never wondering how to make us feel safe without killing indiscriminately, as the bass does some pulsing punctuations as James Sherry's drums discreetly help the song build towards that explosive conclusion.

Letter from Yootha has sampled radio noise intro and gang chanted vocals, hardcore clattering guitars with drums to fry your brain with, as Yootha swaps lines with Ed Wenn everyone chants along with them. Older listeners will also have visions of Yootha Joyce floating through there minds.

First, They Ignore You well of course they do, you're not cool enough, you don't have it, until of course they realize you really do, as you've stuck around long enough for the hurricane guitars to deal with the doubters, as long as you want it enough, despite all the obstacles you can do what you want, playing indie punk in this new world for sure.

Liberez Wayne Kramer is a few decades late, as he was freed in 1975 was it, still any tribute to Wayne is cool, this short instrumental has violins and weird oscillations.

John's Gone is the bands tribute to producer John Hannon who died during the recording of this album, this gives a fitting send off to the man, quoting his advice to the band over urgent downbeat punk, as they hope to have kooky time signatures, use weird noises and all the other weirdness he could help make happen, without thinking you had to be perfect.

Seek Shelter from the guitars strafing the room, as the rimshots attack, the madness of the pandemic and post pandemic world unfolds, the poor keep getting crapped on, no matter how we rise up they still tramp everyone down. This has urban paranoia of the underground warrior trying to find a way to keep a roof over their heads while fighting the fight.

Write it Down re-purposes a Stooges riff, adds some indie grit, wonky timing, angry vocals as they hector you to write it all down, including reviewing the band, go on keep writing it down, or for those of us with terrible handwriting type it down.

May I Help You is a short snippet of someone turning up at the door. The album closes with Sunset the bands farewell thoughts of leaving this life too soon, even though you still feel like you have plenty to do, this is gentle encouragement to live a busy full life.

Find out more at https://dwdlrr.bandcamp.com/album/use-the-daylight https://www.facebook.com/dealingwithdamage https://dealingwithdamage.com




  author: simonovitch

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