Die So Fluid are a female-fronted three-piece whose second album, Not Everybody Gets A Happy Ending, plants the flag for their unique brand of progressive alternative rock.
The clanking bassline of opening track “Gang Of One” leads swiftly into a beefy riff that synchronises with the guitar line. The ‘power trio’ is a formula four decades old, but it hasn’t lost its ability to blow minds and speakers alike; in the hands of Die So Fluid it’s a tool for reconquering lost territories.
The real star of Not Everybody Gets A Happy Ending is vocalist and bass player Grog, who takes all the stereotypes about women in rock music and blows them out of the water. No kooky little girl persona or teasing seductress act here – she just sings, with all the power and conviction that the best vocalists possess, regardless of gender.
I have no idea whether she’d take this as a compliment, but it’s meant as one – Grog has a vocal range that reminds me of a more metal-influenced Linda Perry; from close and intimate to a full-throated roar, she’s got every emotion covered.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking Die So Fluid are just Grog’s backing band, though – these songs are much more than just picture frames. The driving drums of Al Fletcher and heavy guitar grooves of the mysteriously-named Mr Drew get as much time in the sonic spotlight as Grog’s voice.
And they’re solid songs, too – Not Everybody Gets A Happy Ending is full of the sort of straight-forward alternative rock belters that borrow the heft and skill of metal without taking on board the dumb machismo and Tolkien imagery.
Die So Fluid also have a fine ear for hooks - after you listen to “The Kiss And Then The Kick” you’ll have the verse melody stuck in your head for the rest of the day, and the chorus of “Existential Baby” has the potential for anthem status.
And while there’s no cheesy ballad or obvious “slow number”, Not Everybody Gets A Happy Ending is host to some variety. “Something To Say” is Die So Fluid’s take on spit-flecked high-speed garage rock, and “Throw You Away” is an epic hymn of defiance, the two tracks staking out the opposite ends of the Die So Fluid songwriting spectrum.
Die So Fluid are either an anachronism or a sign of things to come, stripping metal of all its misogyny and clichés, welding it to the more personal lyrical styles of punk, and performing the result with understated musicianship. Not Everybody Gets A Happy Ending is a sterling album from a band who deserve to be much bigger than they are.
[Don't forget you can check out the Dreaded Press review of Die So Fluid playing live in Southampton while you're here!]
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Posted in Music reviews |
Tags: alternative, metal, rock
