Die! Die! Die! are beginning to become one of New Zealand’s most lucrative exports (insert sheep joke here) as they continue to develop and refine their continually evolving sound on their fourth LP, Harmony.
The noise-pop trio have continued to steer in the same direction as 2007’s Promises, Promises and 2010’s Form, which saw them beginning to move away from their initially more hardcore intonations, adopting styles more closely tied to noise-pop and punk.
Harmony culminates a relentless offering of ten fuzz-infused, drum and bass-driven tunes, flecked with Andrew Wilson’s amicable blend singing/screaming vocal epithets and hammering, glassy guitars.
Despite an obvious lack of dynamic overall, it does nothing to detract from the record; in fact, the consistently thunderous tempo throughout the course of the record never borders on monotony.
‘Erase Waves’ could almost be compared to At The Drive-In, think ‘Starslight’ with an even bigger drum sound, while ‘Seasons Revenge’ allows for a slightly slower mood, with reverse reverb guitar drones and a moment for Wilson to demonstrate a softer side to his vocal capability, on what seems to be the most reflective track on a generally raucous record.
In the latter stages of the album, ‘Twitching Sunshine’ remains upbeat but conveys a more melodic harmony between guitar and vocal, underpinned by saturated, reverberating drums; while closing sentiment ‘Get Back’ couples staccato, semi-quaver drums with distorted vocal musings and groaning guitar ambience, culminating in both the most abstract and most inspiring offerings on the record.
Harmony manages to affirm that Die! Die! Die! are in no way finished developing as a band, but also proves they have no fear in discovering that sound, through fearless experimentation and genuine originality on this superb release.
-Morgan Benson
