Track 36: - Dog Days - Dehd
Switchblade, clutch purse, motorbike, mini skirt, horsepower, engine, vibrations, oh, I'm shaking...
Dehd is such a dependable band. Album after album they crank out catchy minimalist rock with a sound unlike anyone else. Bass lines, candy stripped guitar, two singers, male and female, and a cymballess standing drummer. They manage to grow and craft songs and albums that don’t feel stale while crafting a sound that’s unique and immediately identifiable. And Dog Days was my song of the summer. It both nails that excitement you feel when you’re about to hit the town with your friends, where you open up the idea that anything is possible, while also reading every modern person to filth with the repeated line “everyone I know is a broken heart.”
Singing isn’t guitarist Jason Balla’s strong suit. His voice is nasally and flat, and I much prefer Emily Kempf as a singer, only because her vocals add a distinct flavor to Dehd’s best songs that remind me of classic rock vamping. She sells it well.
What Balla lacks in focal chops he makes up for in enthusiasm. If you ever see Dehd live, you can’t help but marvel at how much the man loves performing live. His enthusiasm can be glimpsed in the Dog Days video, but also in his performance. It’s one of my favorite “Jason songs” and the whole band rises to the occasion, knowing they’re cranking out a banger.
This is a perfect road trip opener. But I’m positioning it here to get back on the road. yesterday was weird with a diversion to the Blues by Geordi Greep. The dog days are upon us. You’re a broken heart, I’m a broken heart, but we’re going to be okay.
Click here for the Infinite Mixtape on Spotify.
Click here for the Infinite Mixtape on Apple Music.
