Dolarhyde

Dolarhyde

Written by: PP on 03/05/2010 04:40:06

Birmingham, Alabama based Dolarhyde like to describe their sound as "Mxpx and Lifetime hanging out at the Dude Ranch", but honestly, I'm not hearing much Blink 182 in the sound, and only a tad bit of mid 90s Mxpx. Instead, my guess is that these guys fell unstoppably in love with the Lifetime classic "Jersey's Best Dancers" and figured they wanted to form a melodic hardcore band that sounded exactly like that. Hey, I know the feeling, the first time I heard "Turnpike Gates" and "Cut The Tension", I thought the tracks were amazing, the second time I was in love with them, and the third time I wanted to start a Lifetime cover band. Obviously that never happened, but that's essentially what Dolarhyde have done on their self-titled debut full length, for so audible is the similarity between the record and the Lifetime classic.

But that's perfectly fine, because "Dolarhyde" is a damn good record. Sure it sounds like Shook Ones, Lifetime and you can hear your Jawbreaker influences lurking underneath the surface, but the songs are full of energy, the sing alongs are anthemic, and there are more catchy melodies than you can count with your both hands by the time you reach just the halfway point of the record. Whether it's the melodic ring in the buzzing guitars, or the vibrant bass-lines strongly present at the forefront of the sound, or the Ari Katz inspired vocals, catchy is a common denominator.Most of the 15 tracks compressed into just 37 minutes race by you at breakneck speeds, showcasing the best aspects of the melodic hardcore genre overall, but there are also a few cuts which have more of a pop punk feel to them because of a more polished guitar sound or a poppy chorus, especially after the midway point to the record. Sharp readers will also notice a remarkable similarity to Boys Night Out's "Trainwreck" towards the end of "We All Fall Down".

And this is where Dolarhyde differ noticeably from Lifetime and Shook Ones, but if you ask me, they're at their very best when there's a d-beat and the vocalist simply explodes his lyrics into the mic. Whenever the pedal is floored, their songs are just that much more energetic and convincing. It's very difficult not to be dancing and singing along to tracks like "Cold Winter's Day", despite the continuous references to the seminal band mentioned several times in this review already. At 15 tracks, the record overstays its welcome slightly, but not enough to irritate the listener or to have a noticeable effect on its grade. Lifetime fans and melodic hardcore / punk fans in general shouldn't miss out on one of the most solid releases in the genre in a while.

8

Download: Birmingham Sometimes, Cold Winter's Day, Shotgun
For the fans of: Lifetime, Shook Ones, Jawbreaker
Listen: Myspace

Release date 12.01.2010
State Of Mind Recordings

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