Labels: Bombed Out Records
Review by: MH
This is the latest album by Leeds’ The Dauntless Elite with their melodic and ballsy punk rock. You could call them veterans by now “” for those who don’t know them the band members have also served time in Joe Ninety and Fig 4.0. It has been 5 years since their previous album “Graft” came out and they’ve been together for near enough a decade. Somehow I have only seen them play live once – at a particularly eventful all-dayer at Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes with Leatherface. If you liked “Graft” then you’ll be glad to hear that this album is typically melodic and packed with singalong choruses. There is no major departure from their trademark sound. I won’t bleat on about the Yorkshire accent in the vocals but they are naturally in full force here. I like their line in song titles “” “God Doesn’t Believe I Exist” and “Sod This For A Game Of Soldiers” to name a couple. They don’t stick around long “” 12 songs in about 30 minutes “” only 3 of which break the 3 minute barrier. They hover around mid-tempo for the most part although “I Don’t Wanna Be A Transhuman” sees them going all-out. Standouts for me include the boisterous “Danson In The Dark (Don’t Ask Me)” which moves from its more restrained vocals in the intro to a much more shouty and anthemic chorus “” brilliant song. “Silent Running” is a slower track which hits some heights too. I had secretly hoped it was going to be a Mike & The Mechanics cover version but this song is even better than that humdinger. The track that follows is another belter – this is not an album that tails off towards the end. You can’t go wrong with this if you like your punk rock melodic, gritty and raucous as these guys are experts.