REVIEW: DZ Deathrays- IN-TO-IT

Brisbane dark-pop, rave-rock, running-from-police-sound-tracking three-piece DZ Deathrays tear it apart in their first new endeavour since the group’s 2018 record, Bloody Lovely. Shane Parsons (guitar, bass, vox), Simon Ridley (drums), and Lachlan Ewbank (guitar) continue to invoke our most untamed personalities with the most contagious Brisbanite attitudes. No exception, IN-TO-IT feels as if you’re trapped within the confines of a severely dodgy nightclub, embossing floor to ceiling dark-red short-furred carpet, with an evenly split crowd of cocainists and cops.

IN-TO-IT’s first verse boasts some proper catchy DZ lyrics amongst an incredibly louring build, “Woke up on a plane. I can hardly feel my brain. I was into it”. Rhythmical progression leads into an alarming sub kick pattern, prior to a soon to be a full-blown rave. A massive drum fill leads the verse into its full stride. Parsons’ vocals cut through the mix so perfectly, complementing the crunchy guitars and sub bass textures laying the verse’s foundation. Ewbank dubs some signature DZ guitar goodness over the verse’s end, before all hell breaks loose.

A raw and minimal verse is annihilated by a classic DZ dark-pop, full-frequency, soaring chorus. A primary appeal amongst DZ’s latest effort is the incredibly effective verse – chorus juxtaposition. While the chorus is huge, its separation is commendable and the DZ darkness shines through. “Don’t give a fuck about tomorrow morning/my knees are week and my head is sore and/my body hurts but my brain ignores/it all seemed like a good decision”.

Transitioning into its second verse, Ridley’s kick drum drives the boys through new guitar territory as country bends swarm in the distance of the ambient soundscape. Illusive in its nature, the verse evolves as Ridley rips a fuckin proper drum beat and drags his audience out from the ambient wonderland, into raw rock.

Dropped into a chorus just as large as the last, slight evolutions increase the intensity. It just sounds bigger. The tune’s bridge sounds like a verse on steroids. Wailing guitar leads and a less jarring instrumental provides contrast, before smashing into its final chorus.

The chorus’ first half is a stripped back, low-end lacking, primitive crunchy guitar embossing, punchy as fuck snare wearing alteration of the previously huge chorus. Illusive again, the audience is met with the most awesome backup vocal melodies, in addition to everything else the DZ boys could fit into their final chorus of an epic tune as the massive finale kicks in. And they’re not done. It wouldn’t be a DZ banger if not for an over the top, massive, unison riff. IN-TO-IT’s outro is one of the best DZ riffs in their discography.

I’ve now left the club and am running from the police as fast as fuckin possible.

IN-TO-IT – DZ Deathrays. This is a proper solid tune.

https://www.facebook.com/dzdeathrays/

https://www.facebook.com/dzdeathrays/

http://dzdeathrays.com/