Album/EP

dave the band - Slob Stories (Album Review)

Walladmin

Heavy Metal Wordsmith

/10

Aug 27, 2020

7 min read

dave the band - Slob Stories
Released: August 28th, 2020

Lineup:

Noah Church | vocals/ guitar
Max Tuckerman | bass
Gabe Argiris | drums

Online:

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This rock punk trio out of Newcastle have officially entered the music arena with their debut album Slob Stories and it’s one cracker of a listen. Whilst referred to as one of Newie's best kept secrets, these lads have already made their mark already on stage sharing it with the likes of other Aussie icons like You Am I, British India and Dune Rats.

Their name is honestly a perfect insight into what their sound is like. They sound like if your mate Dave started a band with two of his mates in his garage. Now you might be saying to yourself “not me, I don’t know a Dave”, but that's where you’re wrong, everyone knows a Dave. Their name might not necessarily be “Dave” but they have the personality and laid back Aussie attitude of a “Dave”. dave the band has nailed the classic rock sounds similar to that of Grinspoon and injected it with the beachy vibes we love from Hockey Dad and Skegss.

First song off the ranks is 'Ultrahard' and it’s an absolute cracker of a tune. The lyrics mixed with super catchy riffs and punchy drumming make this my favourite track on the album. This follows with 'Where You Are' another song that you wanna get up and move to. With your energy up at a 10 right now the next song brings that back down to a 4. 'Footy Socks' is a beautifully emotional song both in lyrical content and in tone but feels out of place after the potency of the first two belters. It’s possible it would have fitted better next to 'Sadsack', another one of the more mellow tracks on the record.

The album continues with more infectiously upbeat tracks, the main rift of 'Fine!' being a tune that is still constantly getting stuck in my head. The song somehow sounds like the jittery feeling you get when the anxiety kicks in or you’ve had one too many coffees and you’re trying to convince yourself that it’ll be fine. Consistent throughout all the tracks is frontman Noah Church's strong style of storytelling which direction is similar to that of Wil Wanger of The Smith Street Band. I found this lyrical approach to be most prominent with the track 'Endstart', where we are reminded to get out of our own heads and reach out to those around you when you feel like a bit of a fuckwit.

dave the band has undoubtedly put itself on the map with this release and you’d be doing yourself a disservice not to check it out. This is a stellar first album from the lads and they're only just getting started. Onya Dave!