I don't think that I've ever heard punk rock from Russia before until late last year when a chap named Dmitriy got in touch with me and asked me to review Here We Come Again by The Dumbheads. I’m always looking to check out new bands from all over the world and, being excited after reading the bands influences include The Ramones, The Queers and Screeching Weasel, I hurriedly checked them out.
The opening song on the EP is called The Good, The Bad, The
Dumbhead and is a completely instrumental introduction track. As you can guess
from the title of the track and the EP's cover art there is a slight Western
theme to the punk rock sound. The first proper song on the EP shares the EP's
title Here We Come Again. Happily The Dumbheads are a band that wear their
influences on their sleeves with some fast, three-chord pop punk with catchy
lyrics and hooks galore. You'll be singing the chorus of "Here We Come
Again" after just one listen and it will be stuck in your head for days.
The next song, Save Your Breath, continues with the three chord pop punk but
also has a lot more of a rock and roll aggression to it. This might be a bit of
an obscure reference but the vocals really remind me of early 2000's
Californian street punk band Pistol Grip (a really underrated band). The vocals
are deeper than you might expect from a band with the influences that The
Dumbheads have but I like it, it shows the band is not just copying the bands
that are their heroes. The fourth song on the EP is titled Lost In Your Game and
is a bit softer but definitely keeps the rock attitude. People often describe
the Queers as being a cross between The Beach Boys and The Ramones, Lost In
Your Game makes me think of The Queers but if The Queers played with a lot more
rock and roll. Surf rock is not a genre of music you would expect from a
Russian band but they make it work really well. Up next is a cover of The
Replacements Rattlesnake. I really should listen to more of The Replacements as
they appear to have influenced a lot of bands. I've never heard Rattlesnake but
I can't imagine that The Replacements played it as fast as The Dumbheads do
here. This fast and rowdy version of the song is actually my highlight of the
EP. Here We Come Again is completed with another instrumental track named
Secret Agent In Baghdad. It's interesting for a band to have two instrumental
tracks on what is a six-song EP. It's a nice idea though as it helps bookend it
and makes it feel like there are proper starting and finishing positions.
Stream and download Here We Come Again here: https://dumbheads.bandcamp.com/album/here-we-come-again
Like The Dumbheads here: https://www.facebook.com/thedumbheads
Stream and download Here We Come Again here: https://dumbheads.bandcamp.com/album/here-we-come-again
Like The Dumbheads here: https://www.facebook.com/thedumbheads
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