In 2021, ‘Fuck Art’ catapulted Canadian outfit The Dirty Nil to fresh heights, encapsulating their colourful aesthetic and skull-rattling rock anthemics. ‘The Lash’ feels like a reaction to all that, with the now-duo hitting reset to offer a more cynical outlook on life and music.
In following up 2023’s ‘Free Rein to Passions’ they opt for a pared-back approach that keeps these songs simple, if more predictable. It’s well-written, with structures that eschew technicality for memorability much as the band always have, but considerably more pissed off at the world, looking out through cynical eyes. But because this is The Dirty Nil, ‘The Lash’ isn’t a downtrodden or miserable album. Instead, it shows they’ve got plenty of kick left in them.
Gallop of the Hounds kicks into top gear almost immediately, hitting an anthemic high in its bridge and trademark belt-along chorus, while Fail In Time pairs its hummable guitar motifs with a pessimistic outlook on inevitable failure.
Rock Band echoes Reel Big Fish’s Don’t Start A Band in its skewering of the industry’s treatment of artists, the bridges snarling “all your loved ones worried sick” and “someone else is gettin’ rich.”
But, as This Is Me Warning Ya exemplifies early on, ‘The Lash’ isn’t wholly preoccupied with high-octane thrillers. Here, drums don’t make an appearance at all as Luke Bentham instead vents over cascading guitars. Despite its softness, it keeps an edge, its simple “this is me warning ya” refrain hinting at some kind of unseen or unexpected threat.
For better or worse, each new Nil record will inevitably be compared to the high watermark hit by ‘Fuck Art’. Simply put, ‘The Lash’ doesn’t reach that level but it is different and dependable, with a vital, beating heart that suggests there’s more to come.
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