Punk band Dead To Me have been around for a decade, but the last 5 years have been spent in limbo after bassist/co-frontman Tyson “Chicken” Annicharico’s substance abuse got the better of him. A stint in rehab and a new decision to remain sober later, and the band have returned with a new 3-song EP, I Wanna Die In Los Angeles. [columns] [column size=”1/3″]
Album Title: I Wanna Die In Los Angeles
Release Date: 21 October 2016
Label: Fat Wreck Chords
The title track kicks things off with a sunny hook and a rapid drum roll build. Tyson’s vocals are gritty but melodic, and the Beach Boys-esque backing vocals make the melody even more fun. The production is perfect for this style of song: it’s crisp and punchy, but it’s also rough enough to sound a little like a garage demo, and it feels exactly how a punk song should. “Tune It Out” has a nice vocal rhythm running counter to the insistent drumbeat, and the “chorus” is superb (in quotations because it’s never repeated during the brief 2-minute song, but damn if it doesn’t sound like a chorus hook), both musically and lyrically: “why do I feel like I miss someone I’ve never met?” is a sentiment that’s simple but elegant. “Comforting the Disturbed and Disturbing the Comfortable” rounds things out with a slightly more polished tune, but doesn’t have quite the same quality hook as the other 2 songs, and the newsreel speech sample in the middle feels unnecessary.
It’s hard to suggest such a brief collection of songs (the entire EP clocks in at under 10 minutes), but as a teaser for an upcoming full-length, this is a mouth-watering sample, especially the title track.
