Placing the bloody gaping jaws of a great white shark beneath D.I.C.K in giant bold letters on the cover of your debut album is a sure way to grab people’s attention – and that’s exactly the plan for Melbourne indie surf-punks Dream In Colour Kidz. They’ve worked damn hard on this self-titled LP, so if chucking some eye-popping titbits on the cover is what it takes to reel listeners in, then so be it.
D.I.C.K was self-recorded, mixed and mastered by the band, but it’s no amateur bedroom LP. From the sizzling guitar solo on Bubbling to the raspy shouted chorus of Da Wishka, everything fits snugly into the mix. It’s got that whole crusty punk thing going on, and nothing sounds too polished or tinkered with.
Sea Devil emerges slowly from the depths with ambient guitar before bursting into a surf-rock extravaganza. It subsides and makes way for With You, a standout track bristling with washed-out, summery melodies and noodling guitar. Like Wavves but less blazed, the chorus will stick to you like sand on the beach. Bubbling maintains the frantic pace with a searing solo pushing things to boiling point.
Elsewhere, Pain and Icecream’ssickly sweet refrain of “I’m melting away” is layered over an upbeat acoustic jam; its second half channelling the blissed-out good times of Blind Melon’s ’93 classic, No Rain. Driving in the Car With Mum is a jazzy acoustic interlude with an unexpected conclusion, while Golden Oak, the last track on the album, rounds things out with a driving rhythm and hazy vibes.
Dream In Colour Kidz have come up with a debut record that rocks with the might of Poseidon. A gnarly surf-punk smorgasbord, this LP serves up plenty to sink your teeth into.
BY JACK PILVEN
