The lo-fi aesthetic has given punk so much. It has allowed bands to express themselves and to lay classic songs down without the aid of major studios and financial investment. But sometimes a band comes along and reminds you that bigger can be better.
The Dirty Nil’s debut album, ‘Higher Power’, is a ripping collection of punk jams designed to shake the rafters and knock fillings loose. The Canadian trio have been doing the rounds for a number of years, spinning between 7”s, 10”s and short form releases as they perfected their sound, which tends towards the massive.
They want you to feel like you're in the room with them; like you're hanging from the roof at the basement gig, dripping in sweat. Their live show has become notorious and is a fusion of everything they do well: they play loud, they play fast and they get in your face at every available opportunity.
Also, though, they are canny songwriters. This is not an album that bludgeons from start to finish. While there are moments, namely Lowlives and Fugue State, when the band allow Dave Nardi to fully enjoy his role as their version of Propagandhi’s Todd Kowalski, this is a very melodic collection of songs.
They very rarely sacrifice punch in pursuit of them, favouring an all amps to 11 approach, and their love of classic rock is writ large across tunes that careen into one another with a grin on their face. From the opener, No Weaknesses, into Zombie Eyed, their stall is set out early and they rarely deviate from a path that provides a rush of adrenaline at almost every turn.
It is in songs like Friends in the Sky, though, that we really get to see them as purveyors of clever hooks, with Luke Bentham’s addictive guitar line augmented by vocals that switch between drawled cool and vital yells. This balancing act is definitely maintained across ‘Higher Power’ and labels the Dirty Nil as the sort of band who can smack you about the face just as well as they can get into your head with a hook, as the best pop songwriters do.
This is not the band’s first step, but it is their biggest to date. This is an album that you will revisit and each time still be thrilled by its brash, powerful charms.
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