Album Review: Dead Low - Listen Up!
Reviewed by Dan Barnes
If you want a quick-fire guide to what Dead Low are all about then look no further than the title track of this debut EP. In less than two minutes Listen Up! will tell you everything you need to know about this East Coast Punk Rock & Roll trio. From the classic metallic guitar riffs, delivering some serious hooks and no small amount of fretboard abuse, to the raw vocal delivery and massive in-your-face punk attitude, Dead Low pretty much lay out their musical blueprint on one easy sitting.
Evoking the nihilistic ‘tude and simplistic song structures of Punk’s glory days with the fervour of the UK82 posse, Listen Up! is a collection of stomping beats and mandatory head-bobbing which sinks its claws into you as soon as Spinning Wheels takes off. All across the EP you’ll find classic riffs and old school soloing, all held together by an uber-tight rhythm section.
Battle Cries is straight out of the 1980, supplemented by gang-vocals and, with its use of choppy drum lines and a massive Punk arrogance, Bloodlines is perhaps the most wide-ranging track of the four on offer.
Only formed in 2019 Dead Low’s debut release shows some real promise and I for one look forward to their next outing.
