The Lash
The Dirty Nil
The Dirty Nil still sound as though a good riff is enough to improve most situations. The Lash gives that belief a harder test than usual. Luke Bentham's writing is more personal, and the quieter songs make the doubts difficult to hide. The band keep the energy, but there is more going on beneath it.
Gallop of the Hounds opens with a heavy guitar sound and drums that make the title feel appropriate. It is a strong introduction, giving the album a sense of purpose before the more reflective material arrives. Fail in Time keeps the melody clear even as the mood becomes less confident.
Rock N' Roll Band is especially good. The title suggests a simple celebration, but the song looks at the cost of committing your life to something that may never pay properly. It has a direct hook and enough affection for the job to stop the complaints becoming tiresome. Bentham sounds involved in the contradiction rather than standing outside it.
This Is Me Warning Ya changes the scale. The guitar is quieter, the atmosphere more uneasy, and the voice has nowhere obvious to hide. It works because the band let the song remain small. A large chorus would have made it a different, less interesting moment.
The jump into Do You Want Me? is effective. It's a short blast with a heavier attack, followed by the cleaner guitars and melancholy melody of Spider Dream. The contrast gives both songs more character. The album can be forceful without needing every track to make the same kind of noise.
They Won't Beat Us brings some determination back into the writing, while I Was a Henchman finishes with a sense of release. The record's emotional movement is more interesting than a simple run of loud songs would have been.
There are familiar ideas in the riffs and structures, but the performances keep them active. The Lash is a compact record with a clear reason for its quieter passages as well as its louder ones. The Dirty Nil make the doubts worth hearing, and still give you plenty to turn up.
