THE DIRTY NIL – ALBUM REVIEW

The Dirty Nil – Fuck Art 

Release Date: Out Now

On 1st January 2021 Canadian rockers the Dirty Nil unleashed their latest album ‘Fuck Art’ on the world and what did they put on the cover? An adorable puppy. That’s how they roll and I love them for it. The album starts with the metal fury that is ‘Doom Boy’, all furious guitars and thundering drums but with a killer chorus which brings to mind the likes of Dinosaur Pile-Up as they mix the heavy with the sweet. ‘Blunt Force Concussion’ slows things down a bit but we’re still in Blink 182 meets Panic! At the Disco territory as the chugging guitars and melodic vocals blend perfectly.

On ‘Elvis ‘77’, the trio give the melodies the steering wheel and pull out one of the most infectious choruses currently being shouted out atop a meaty riff. As you might expect, ‘Done With Drugs’ is a rock’n’roll ode to going straight and, honestly, it never sounded so good as they sing “I’m done with drugs, I ain’t doing it for no-one, I’m just giving them up”. By the time ‘Ride or Die’ comes around, I’m imbued with the same feeling as when I started discovering bands like Everclear or the Ataris while ‘Hang Yer Moon’ pops out a killer bass line and the kind of chorus that brings the Pixies to mind. I would be so bold as to say that ‘Damage Control’ is my favourite tune on the album as it starts to veer towards Foo Fighters sized riffs without losing that melodic punk ethos.

‘Hello Jealousy’ is a serious slab of rock’n’roll powered by the aforementioned thunderous drums which gives way to ‘Possession’, a track that comes from the Thin Lizzy school of songwriting but with slicker vocals. As we round the final bend, the bitter ballad ‘To The Guy Who Stole My Bike’ brings Silverchair in their prime or early Reuben to mind as the lyrics, dripping in sarcasm, sting with each delivery. The final track is ‘One More and the Bill’ and you would be forgiven for thinking the Killers had been jamming at the end of a lock-in at a pub to create a slick drinking anthem for the permanently inebriated. I love this album, I love the cover and I love the tunes that rock from start to finish but, most of all, I love that it was released on the first day of 2021 – you can almost hear the hangovers still begging for mercy.

More information: https://www.facebook.com/thedirtynil

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