Album Review: Media Shower by Dead In Four

Today I was about to review Bedford, New Hampshire, based Dead In Four’s 2020 album, Walter Concrete. I’ve listened to it a lot recently and was looking forward to telling you what I thought about it. As I loaded up Bandcamp to get the lyrics ready I discovered that Dead In Four have released a new EP named Media Shower. I kind of figured that I should probably review the most current release but just wanted to say that Walter Concrete is an incredible album, well worth a lot of your time.

If you’re unaware of who Dead In Four is, it is a project by Mark Oslord who plays sometimes electro, sometimes folky punk music. Media Shower was recorded as a way of dealing with the feelings and frustrations of 2020 and was a way of getting back into the more aggressive and melodic punk sound that they grew up on.

Media Shower begins with Basement Boy. It starts out slowly and quietly with Oslord’s dreamy vocals welcoming you to the song before things really get going with a increased tempo and aggressive guitar lead. Oslord’s vocals make me think of a mix of Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba and Em Foster from UK punks Nervus. It’s a great sounding vocal that really gives a unique sound to Dead In Four. The track looks at the subject of turning into a recluse due to events of the past. The final verse of the song slows things back down and is great for singing along to and should offer some catharsis for anyone who’s been through something similar. Next is Beach Combover. This track is about looking back at your past discretions and trying to learn and make amends for them. The song doesn’t have the same high tempo as the previous one but certainly is packed with hooks that will grab the listener. It’s clear that Oslord has a great skill for writing an infectious chorus.

The third song on the EP is Are We Heathens? This is a slower paced song that is about dealing with your mental health issues. During the track Oslord talks about feeling low and hating himself and opens up about how living with these thoughts makes him feel. Lyrically it’s a incredibly emotional song and another that people going through similar things with hopefully find comfort in. I’d kind of like to hear this song played with just an acoustic guitar, I think that would make it even more powerful and emotional. Media Shower kicks back in to top gear on the fourth song, Trouble Negative. The opening guitars with their subtle layering act like a warning alarm before the drums kick in and a rush of energy flows out of the song. The song has some magnificent shifts in tempo and melody throughout the song that really keeps your attention, the bridge in particular I really loved as it goes off like a rocket. Towards the end of the song it slows down and becomes almost chant like which allows anyone listening to sing along. The track is about how everyone is always having an argument and how society struggles to admit when they might be wrong.

Heyday is one of the poppier songs on Media Shower. The vocals come in almost immediately which offered something different from anything else we’ve heard so far. When a band or artist does this you really need something to grab the listener’s attention such as Oslord’s vocals starting with a deeper pitch than on the previous songs before getting higher for the chorus. During the second half of the track I start to get reminded of punk rock flavour of the month Spanish Love Songs. The lyrics feel as autobiographical and story-like as some of Dylan Slocum’s best work. The penultimate song is titled Addendum. This is a slow and atmospheric song that shows a completely different side of Dead In Four. Vocally there’s a solemn, dream like quality to the song that captivates the listener. For the most part the song is quiet, only getting louder for the chorus. There is a beautiful layered harmony on the chorus that gives it a fuller and more hopeful sound. Addendum is about trying to live the best life you possibly can and not being afraid to talk to people if you’re feeling sad or confused. Last up is Pantera Bread. This is by far the heaviest song on Media Shower. Starting out with a thick bassline before a shreddy guitar comes in really lights up the song. The track is littered with shredding solos and really shows off Oslord’s skill as a guitarist. Vocally the song switches between Oslord’s trademark style and a more aggressive growl that I wish had made more appearances on the EP. The song is about people not accepting that they are different and the conflict that it brings. This is a powerful and memorable way to finish Media Shower.

Dead In Four has somehow managed to release two releases in 2020 that I absolutely love. Media Shower features seven fantastic songs covering a number of extremely relatable topics and is played with a huge amount of skill. It’s amazing to me that Mark Oslord not only wrote all these songs but played every instrument himself. People this talented deserve a lot of attention – check this out now.

Stream and download Media Shower on Bandcamp here.

Like Dead In Four on Facebook here.

This review was written by Colin Clark.