ALBUM REVIEW: The Real Life Thing – Shooting Daggers
Rising queercore outfit, SHOOTING DAGGERS, have put out their newest record The Real Life Thing. The London trio have described this ‘mini album’ as fierce energy to drive forward their message of being present and aware of things happening around the world, reminding us that love and integrity can make a real difference as a community. A glimpse of hope, one might say, as told by louder than life punk compositions and anthemic vocals that are as catchy as they are unforgettable.
Kicking things off is opening track, Adrenaline, which starts out with distorted guitars before heading straight into a classic rock meets punk style, complete with the familiar shouty vocals that one comes to expect from the genre, and are a near constant presence on the record. Tied together nicely with a gnarly bassline, we are off to a strong start. Moving into My Oh My! there is a shift in tone where the overall atmosphere feels moody, yet we know we are building up to something empowering once we reach the chorus. And when it hits, it is oh so satisfying, especially since there is some back and forth with those two vibes, so you experience that feeling repeatedly.
We then return to the realm of anger as made clear by the frustrated groan we hear at the start of T.R.L.T. before kicking off into a punk rock sound. We have a case of a false start and stop when the drums and bass suddenly shift into a bouncy beat where a speed up effect is used, before SHOOTING DAGGERS create beautifully chaotic sounds of the fast punk rock variety. Again we experience a shift in sounds and mood when we get to interlude track We Just Wanna Play that consists of nature sounds, clapping and playground chants that many of us would have created back at school, only this time the words said cover modern day adult issues.
It’s on Loud Mouths that we experience the first of two musical guests on the record with fellow punks, THE MENSTRUAL CRAMPS, making an appearance on a track that, as the title suggests, is of the loud and angry variety as both bands denounce problematic behaviours that target fellow members of their queer community. A clear message that simply says, ‘we will not shut up, and we will not be silenced.’ And once again we experience a sudden tonal shift with Le Soleil that, on the surface, should not work on a punk record like this, yet it does. And its a melodic number that is just hauntingly beautiful and no words would do it justice.
Closing the record is Glow, featuring second guest Dennis Lyxzén of REFUSED, that, once again, pairs classic rock riffs with punk vocals. A solid end to a solid album. More than anything, SHOOTING DAGGERS have shown that punk will never die, and it will continue to evolve as the world around us changes. We should be massively excited with these new waves of bands, especially if they sound like this record.
Rating: 9/10
The Real Life Thing is out now via New Heavy Sounds.
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