I fell in love when I heard “Hide” by Play Dead a couple of weeks ago. There was just something about the track that had me hooked and I honestly couldn’t get it out of my head. Lucky for me, they just released an EP so let’s dig into this!
“Hide” kicks this quick five-song EP off so let me take the next minute and fifty-one seconds to just absolutely gush over this band. “Hide” has super intense instrumentation that kicks off the track before backing off and letting these super distinct vocals take over. The vocals kind of sing-talk the first words before almost encouraging the band to blast off and that’s exactly what they do before repeating this all over again. It’s these super stark rises and falls that had me sold with the first listen of this track. Although it’s something that a lot of bands, I feel like Play Dead makes it sound and feel more effortless than other bands out there trying to do this and that really makes them stand out to me in all of the right ways.
That energy that I loved in “Hide” continues into the title track, “Skint”. Fast but not frantic, chaotic but not out of control, Play Dead truly knows how to balance everything I love and everything that is so hard to balance. The one downfall to this band is just how quick their tracks are and, in a blink of an eye, “Skint” was done and had given into “Shaun”. “Shaun” has an almost beach vibe about it. It’s very California skate punk and such a freaking fun track. Honestly, as much as I love “Hide”, I think that “Shaun” might just be my favorite track on this EP.
The tempo slows ever so slightly for “Brockwell Park” and the vocals seem to be very close to those in “Shaun” but this song is a beast all of its own just like every other track on this EP. Again, at under two minutes long, I just didn’t have enough time to write everything I wanted to about this track but, at just ten minutes and fourteen seconds long for the full EP, it wouldn’t kill you to just listen to all of these tracks.
“The Drip” may be the longest track on this EP but, just like the others, this final track flew by and before I knew it, I was left in silence just trying to comprehend what had just happened in the past ten minutes. I’m typically one for long plays just because I feel like you get to know the band a bit better the more you hear from them but Play Dead is one of those bands that has such a distinct sound and so much power that you absolutely get to know this band in just ten minutes.
My Favorite Track(s): “Shaun”
For Fans Of: Fast and Punchy Tracks; Quick Punk Songs; Energy and Power
Mosh-ability: 9 out of 10
What My Cats Thought Of It: Artie slept right next to my desk; Autumn chirped at a bird out the front window
How Badly I Want To See This Performed Live: 9.7 out of 10
My Overall Rating: 8.2 out of 10
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