Saturday, 18 July 2015

Album Review: Resister by The Decline




This might just be me but sometimes I discover a band but have absolutely no clue just how I found out about them. This can be said about Australian punks The Decline. When I decided the time was right to start blogging again I wrote myself a list of posts I wanted to write and one of those was an album review for The Declines new album Resister. I have no idea what made me put them on the list but I thought I'll check it out anyway. Here's what I thought.

The first song on Resister is called New Again. It starts out with some moody sounding guitars and some hard hitting drum rolls before the vocals kick in. Straight away the vocals put a smile on my face, it's always great to hear somewhere singing in their own accent rather than putting on a fake one to suit what's currently cool. New Again showcases what you should expect from the album, fast fun, bouncy punk rock. New Again moves seamlessly into the next song Giving Up Is A Gateway Drug. This song really catches your attention from the opening lyrics of "How Did We Get So Fucked?" The song is a bit of a rollercoaster with multiple key changes you're never really sure what's going to happen next. Despite this the chorus will be stuck in your head very quickly. The third track is named I Don't Believe and is another wonderfully catchy tune. The song is about the frustrations of a music scene and how it feels like an industry rather than a community, which is not how it should be. Almost Never Met You is a fun pop punk number that immediately grabs your attention. It's a love song about potentially missing an opportunity due to not being brave enough to take a chance.  Musically it's not played at the frantic speed that the beginning of Resister is played with and shows some more strings to The Decline's musical bow.

The Blurst Of Times returns to The Declines hard hitting skate punk sound, complete with the oooaaahhh-oh harmonies. Drummer Harry's beats are relentless throughout the song and really drives the band on. There is a chance for one of the bands guitarists to show off with a great solo to finish the track off. This solo is followed by the subdued start to the next song You Call This A Holiday? This subdued and sombre style continues for half a song, teasing things being turned up a notch a couple of times before you don't expect it to, and then the band explodes into sound finishing the track of with a fast and furious frenzy of a punk rock party. The seventh song Camberwell reminds me of Australian punk legends Frenzal Rhomb with fast paced music and vocals delivered in a story telling style. The vocals really take the lead in this song and carry the melody sublimely. Broken Bones has quite a memorable beginning with some jangling stop start guitars. This is another catchy skate punk hit that will get a crowd singing and moshing in equal measure. The chorus on this song uses some excellent dual vocals that gives the song a bigger feel to it.


Track number nine is called Wrecking Ball is a high impact song. The vocals are delivered hard and at a very hard pace with the band provide backing aaahhhhs along with some more brilliant musicianship. You're Not The Waitress is another song that really catches your attention from the beginning. The Decline have a fantastic ability to do this. This track has a big upbeat feeling to it and has me smiling from ear to ear as I type this. This is the perfect summer punk sound track, it's just a damn good time. Little Voices is just a twenty nine second long musical onslaught about not listening to the voice inside your head and not being swayed by what other people think. It's only a short song but feels like it's got everything. The Penultimate song on Resister is named Underworld Tour. The intro of this song has a hard skate punk sound reminiscent of Pennywise. It's about the The Declines first ever tour and the experiences that they went through. They describe the process of touring like going through hell - "So Be Gentle, It's Our First Time, I Wonder If, We're Ever Make It Out Of Hell Alive." The final song in the album is called Start Again and is a massive sing a-long song. It's about growing up and following your dreams despite it making you appear to be selfish. There is a nice breakdown in the middle of the song were Yoda and Luke Skywalker make an appearance and Yoda delivers the legendary line Do Or Do Not, There  Is No Trying." This is followed by a lengthy guitar solo to finish off the song and an fantastic album.

The Decline aren't hugely known in the UK but on the strength of this album they will be very soon. If they play as hard and fast live as they do on record then I can only imagine their upcoming UK tour at beginning of August, including a set at Rebellion Festival in Blackpool will be hugely popular and The Decline will get bigger and bigger. 


Follow and like The Decline here: https://www.facebook.com/TheDeclineMusic 

Now listening to Two Out Of Three Ain't Rad by Red City Radio

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