Brum-based hardcore band Stella Dawes are a very interesting prospect indeed. Although they claim to be influenced by the likes of Converge, The Locust, Norma Jean, Daitro, Mare, Beloved and The Chariot they don’t really sound like any of those bands. They also claim to sound like ‘you are lying with one ear to the dust-bound desert floor. You feel the vibrations as a ravenous gorilla pounds it in pursuit of a moth, whose wings refract the sunlight to delicately shade your other ear’ which is perhaps more accurate…
This album flits between being aggressive and abusive to beautiful and serene in the flick of a pedal. The first minute of ‘Dichotomy’ is almost angelic, before it erupts into a pit of fiery hell – before going back again. It’s organised chaos though and not in any way predictable as many of the quiet/loud/quiet bands are today. At 52 minutes this is a real listening experience and it’s best to listen from start to finish to get the most out of it. ‘Sleep is for the Week’ and ‘Everything Happens to Eeyore’ are both individually good songs though.
Lyrically this band are also on top of their game and the hand-crafted lyric sheet inside the home-made packaging is a nice touch. It kind of sums the band up rather well – one that seeks perfection in everything they do and isn’t far off achieving it.