ALBUM REVIEW: Fuck Art – The Dirty Nil

At a time where the correlation between fashion and success in rock and roll is being debated, Canadian trio THE DIRTY NIL are about to deliver a timely reminder that without great song writing – you’ve got nothing. Fortunately, the three piece are everything contemporary rock music should be. And as the bands third effort, Fuck Art lays its first of several hooks down, you won’t care whether they’re sporting the latest, most uncomfortable Doc Martens available, or they’re bouncing round in crocs.

Whitty, intelligent, and bold – Fuck Art is a 40 minute diatribe of lunacy in the modern age. Social media habits, a general lack of fulfilment, and a fear of affection are just three of the common millennial downfalls that end up in the Canadians crosshairs on their new record. Expect an album of misery laced gripes at your peril though. Instead of stretching the phrase “life’s a bit shit, isn’t it?” out over 11 songs, the three piece use a sense of whit, and outrageous melody to leave a smile on your face and skip in your step – even if you’re the brunt of the joke.

Album opener Doom Boy while fleeting between straight up metal and hard rock escapades, tells the tale of a man in his Thirties using his love for TURNSTILE and CRO-MAGS as a way of trying to cover up his accelerating age. Vocalist/guitarist Luke Bentham‘s chimes of “We could hold hands, and listen to SLAYER in the back of my Dodge Caravan” are humbling, humorous, and beautifully bellowed. The much more purposefully cynical The Guy Who Stole My Bike is a potent attack on, well, a guy who stole Luke‘s bike. But even in its laboured tone, THE DIRTY NIL still make room for infectious chorus hooks, despite them sitting under the surface.

Mostly though, Fuck Art is bursting at the seams with floor fillers. Elvis 77′ and Done With Drugs are purposefully simplistic, but are begging to be screamed in your mates ear at 3AM. The latter in particular delivers the kind of clean guitar picks that puts THE WOMBATS to shame before delivering a striking, salient gang vocal. And that’s arguably what this record is most efficient at, whether you’re nearing the motorway speed limit, sticking to the floors of a club, or wallowing in bedroom loneliness – it’s ready made to strike a chord regardless of setting.

Try not to bang your head in symmetry with Kyle Fisher‘s drums on Blunt Force Concussion, or keep your air guitar hidden as Bentham shreds through the opening of Damage Control – you’ll rarely succeed. Fuck Art satisfies riff aficionados and melody junkies alike, all while being cocooned by a social narrative that you’re confronted with on a daily basis.

After three stellar efforts in a row, it’s time to discuss whether THE DIRTY NIL are one of the best modern rock bands we’ve got right now. Fuck Art undeniably puts them in the conversation – if you don’t love it for its relentless ability to laugh at itself, you’ll love it for the way it soundtracks your every concern with a shit eating grin.

Rating: 8/10

Fuck Art is out now via Dine Alone Records.

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