Dina sound like a cross between The Killerest Expression and Eighty Six (RIP), so the Yellowcard-loving pop-punk kids should probably stop reading now. Released on the JSNTGM Records imprint, the band, based in Liverpool, have a gritty, yet melodic, slant on their punk rock with melody sound. I guess you could even throw comparisons to the likes of Pinto and OCP in there, albeit Dina are a little slower than their peers.
‘Work The Switch’ is a tidy little record that showcases the trio’s talents. For my shame I’d never heard of the band before this CD popped through the letterbox, so this was a welcome surprise. It does have the gritty, driving sound that the Leeds scene laps up, but has enough melody to keep people like me, who like the poppier end of the scale, interested. Tracks like ‘Strike Third’ and the album’s title track are really cool melodic rock songs. Even when the band slow things down, as they do on ‘Clarity Is Breaking Me’, they pull it off with some style. However, the only thing that pulls Dina down are the fact that the same guitar tone makes things sound a little monotonous on repeat listens. So much so that some of the tracks begin to blend in to one another, which is really disappointing as the tracks taken individually are pretty good.
Dina prove they have plenty to offer during the length of ‘Work The Switch’, but there’s a couple of adequate tracks which arguably bring the score down half a star. Still, if you like the Boss Tuneage label and the bands that are linked to it, then Dina are the kind of band that you will inevitably lap up. Good stuff indeed.
www.dinarock.cjb.net
JSNTGM Records
Paul