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.
Buy Resister here: https://peerecords.bandcamp.com/album/resister
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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