Dad Brains (EP)

Dad Brains

Pirates Press Records, 2018

http://dadbrains.bandcamp.com

REVIEW BY: Tom Haugen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 05/21/2020

I had such a good time listening to Dadditude, the 2019 EP from Dad Brains, that I knew their 2018 self-titled EP needed to occupy some time for this aging punk rock dad.

For the uninitiated, Dad Brains are four fathers who play blistering hardcore punk that certainly draws parallels to the legendary Bad Brains. It’s made up of ex-members of California bands like No Motiv, Creep Division, and The F-ing Wrath. All the lyrics, not so surprisingly, are about dad life and often are quite comical. my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

This debut leads with the one minute “Intro/We Are Dads,” where thumping drums and low bass licks build into a thick setting of charged hardcore that reminds us of Chain Of Strength. This leads into the blistering pace of “Baby Jail,” where gang vocals, chugging guitars and shouted choruses are all in attendance, while “Quiet Time” moves at an even quicker pace as '80s New York hardcore nods are present, complete with break downs.

The later tracks include the furious drumming of the charged “I'm Emo,” which moves with a more modern approach of melodic yet hard hitting punk with an anthemic chorus. “I'm Old” exits the listen with the only tune to reach three minutes, and it's a raging one that relies heavily on a thundering rhythm section with lyrics that just might make you laugh out loud more than once.

Although they've only been around since 2017, Dad Brains are all veteran musicians, and the songs illustrate that well with an intense and memorable delivery that's certainly pit friendly but not without tunefulness and even sing-alongs.

Since Father's Day is coming up, if you've got a dad who still wears t-shirts from '80s hardcore bands and thinks Youth Of Today were the best live band he ever saw, this would be an ideal gift to bridge his music interests with all the experiences of raising kids.

Rating: A-

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