DITZ – ‘5 Songs’

By Andy Joice

While some bands explode onto a scene unprepared and unfamiliar with the new found appreciation they receive, others work tirelessly to hone their craft and build a pulsing reputation. Brighton five piece DITZ have perfected the latter, sharpening their sound and developing a status as one of Brighton’s most exciting, captivating live bands. Despite releasing music irregularly, they’ve made a name for themselves with fans, publications, DJs and musicians alike by producing frenetic sounds that encapsulate their stage presence in three minute chunks.

Latest EP ‘5 Songs’ includes their last four singles, plus a cover of Peaches infamous track ‘Fuck The Pain Away’. It’s a refreshing take on a well known song, laced with instrumental dissonance and grungy distortion, as well the deep timbre from vocalist Cal Francis. While the lo-fi rumbling bass and snares (or in this case hi-hats) are still there, it’s the way the track develops that bleeds new life into it. Starting more or less in the same way Peaches does, it gradually gets louder and louder, till every second is populated by screeching guitars, thundering drumming, and near screamed vocals. DITZ’s reinvention of ‘Fuck The Pain Away’ is original, exciting, and a wonderful alternative take on a well known song.

Opening track ‘Seeking Attachment’ starts with dissonant guitar wails, industrial snares, and Francis’s almost mumbled vocals, before fully erupting into a post-punk sound, giving but a taster of the mess of sounds to come – mess, of course, being nothing but the highest of compliments. Tales of loveless romances through the chorus “you take me for granted / I don’t want a special friend / I just want to be romanced” are somehow echoed by the pounding frustration built into the instrumentation.

The wails of guitars continue into ‘Gayboy’ – a song pointing a middle finger at the irony of bigotry and homophobia. Cutting to its core, Francis’s delivery is as punchy as the thundering drum beat, a combination that beats its message into the back of your skull with precision. Perhaps the catchiest chorus on the album, it encapsulates their notoriously raucous live shows to a tee.

‘Total 90’ features some Ian Curtis inspired vocals, stylistically monotonal before building to a crescendo of a spitting chorus, deftly nestled between aching guitars and drums pounded to within an inch of their life. With the video filmed at Lewes FC’s wonderfully named Dripping Pan ground, it portrays the homophobic ‘banter’ rife within football, and the feeling of discomfort that’s associated with the ongoing and historical lack of acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community within the beautiful game.

Final single ‘Role Models’ features their trademark discordant guitars and almost whispered vocals, leading into an utter thrashing of drums and battering guitars, echoing the bellowed chorus line of “how could it be you?”. Written about looking at other bands and people with envy, it’s a feeling that most people are able to associate with – reflectively wondering how someone has got a better job, more money or higher prestige compared to yourself, it’s a poison that’s difficult to suck out.

As their first physical release, ‘5 Songs’ perfectly reflects their vivacious live shows via a polished studio release. Gritty, chunky and denser than a slab of concrete, it’s not only the perfect introduction to DITZ, it’s the perfect introduction to the new wave of post-hardcore punk that’s gaining more traction every week. Suffice to say, DITZ will be near the frontline.

ANDY JOICE

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