Tyrannosaurus Dead - Bed Dread
(Bleeding Gold 2013)
"A guitar tone similar to that of fellow pre-historic punk band Dinosaur Jr."
Coming off of a very solid 12" EP on Odd Box Records, Tyrannosaurus Dead have finally released their first 7" record, Bed Dread. Despite what one may expect from a single, neither side of this pressing is among the pop-punk quintet's most immediately likeable songs, yet both tracks have a strange sort of charm that can really grow on you, as if they were lost tracks meant for an unpublished Sarah Records flexi. While the Brighton-based band are known for the explosive chords that carry most of their songs, an unexpected calm pervades the opening verse of "Bed Dread". The usual fuzz seems to have been stripped from the jangling skeleton of guitar, and there's a sense of sparsity that I find refreshing, the dual vocal harmonies of Billy Lowe and Elanor Rudge standing stronger than ever on their own. The distortion returns for the chorus, reminding one of the guitar tone employed by fellow pre-historic punk band Dinosaur Jr, followed by a gnarly solo. With the guitars sounding slightly more distant than on most T-Dead songs, it's harder to lose one's self in the instrumentation on the A-Side, but the track also features one of the band's best vocal performances, making up for the lack of volume supplied by the six-strings. "Oyster Boy You're A Blast" plays on the flip side, a fast paced tune with rapidly cycling major chords. This time around the vocalists sound as if they're breathless, trying to keep up with the song's snappy pace. Though not as strong a tune as "Bed Dread", "Oyster Boy" is a fun little number that makes a nice b-side. Bleeding Gold Records, who pressed the single, deliver as always on this disc, a clear lathe-cut record. Only 50 were pressed, and a few remain at the time of this post's publication. Get yours today!
Exclusive look at the b-side
stream/buy "Bed Dread" here
