Dead Bars – ‘Dead Bars’

By Sarah Scanlon

With Fest in Gainesville less than 100 days away now, it’s time to get more and more stoked for not just your favorite bands that you’ve seen time and time again, but newer, smaller bands that you may not have had the opportunity to check out before.

Dead Bars, from Seattle, are one of these bands. Just formed in 2013 by former members of Seattle rock and roll band Big Eyes, they released an EP on No Idea back in late May. This four-song EP is short, but packed full of just the kind of light, catchy punk that you’d expect from a band playing Fest.

The inspiration for the band’s name hints at what we can expect out of these tunes. On their Facebook page, the band talks about what it’s like to drink in a dead bar as opposed to a crowded nightclub. In a dead bar, “Time moves slow as you drink and think about the good and bad times, and everything you could have done better.”

The first song on the EP, ‘Funhouse Monday’, starts things off on a good note– no surprises here. It’s pop-punk with a lot of “la-la-la”s to sing along with. ‘Party At My House’, the next track, doesn’t offer much in terms of lyrics, but it’s fun all the time. Dead Bars keep it simple with this one: “Had a party at my house, I told you about it… hey baby, why’d you have to go?” One of the catchier songs on the record, probably because of the lack of lyrics- this one will be super easy for a large group of drunk (and sober) punk kids to sing along to.

The longest song on the record slows things down a little, but it unfortunately isn’t as memorable as the other songs. ‘Love Sick’ exemplifies the feeling of drinking in a dead bar, depressed and alone, but the tune isn’t one to keep going back to.

Thankfully, Dead Bars pick it up again on the final track. Their strengths lie in the more upbeat tunes; though the lyrics might not be super uplifting, the faster songs suit them much better, and it’ll be interesting to see how these translate live. See you in Gainesville!

SARAH SCANLON

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