SINGLE REVIEW: DEAD WOLF CLUB - RADAR

Dead Wolf Club are pretty energetic. Single ‘Radar’ starts with a lone guitar line that sounds like the song is going to explode into a raging flurry of head-nodding, chaotic rhythms and riffs that will make you want to lose track of space and time in a dingy indie club somewhere off Charing Cross Road as you slowly inhale tequila and cover yourself in a thin balm of stale beer and sickly sweat on a packed dance floor.

It’s unfortunate then that such a hypnotic climax seems just out of reach for the ambitious teenage foursome. When ‘Radar’ does kick in, it’s less explosive than expected and instead is a brooding ride that tips its hat firmly at Interpol. Vocals are angsty wails that sit over minor key progressions whilst propulsive drums stimulate the snare-to-neck nerve endings a treat. Proceedings are rudely interrupted however in the form of a stuttering bridge that means that when we get to the soaring chorus, intensity is lost. A minor nag perhaps but enough to break the spell, put down the tequila and think about work tomorrow.

In all honesty, the intro of ‘Radar’ might be ‘Last Night’ by The Stokes, the middle Interpol and the end stolen from ‘Banquet’ by Bloc Party but so what? Dead Wolf Club make a bold enough musical statement here that this song has a charm of its own. The band call their music “dark punk” but this single is a no nonsense slice of indie rock nostalgia. Couple this with an apparent reputation for vitriolic live shows and smashed guitars and it starts to become impossible to not like this promising bunch.

Dead Wolf Club are smashing guitars and being vitriolic all over the UK with a tour to celebrate the release of their debut self titled album, which came out earlier this month through Scene Not Herd. // DEAD WOLF CLUB