So Recordings (label)
17 June 2013 (released)
13 June 2013
Leeds’ Dinosaur Pile-Up represent an under-represented genre of music in the UK at the moment. Loud, energetic rock music. Think Nirvana, Foo Fighters, The Vines and you’ll get an idea of what to expect. But don’t compare them, as Dave Grohl said himself about Foo Fighters being compared to Nirvana ‘it’s just loud guitars and drums’.
That’s exactly what ‘Nature Nurture’ brings to your ears: loud guitars and drums. Not just that but melodies and catchy choruses. They’ve taken the Buzzcocks/Ramones/Nirvana blueprint of rock music with a pop style to it (pop is not a dirty word!). Songs you can mosh to or sing along with or both. This isn’t much of a departure from 2011s ‘Growing Pains’ with songs like ‘Mona Lisa’ laying the framework for the ‘Nature Nurture’.
There’s a more refined and focused approach to ‘Nature Nurture’ compared to Dinosaur Pile-Up’s previous releases. Matt Bigland (the brains, vocals, guitars and drums behind Dinosaur Pile-Up) is relentless in his pursuit of the perfect three-and-a-half minute single with the 12-track album clocking in around the 40 minute mark. If you listen to the album from start to finish with that in mind, every track could easily be a single. Already leading off with ‘Arizona Waiting’ and ‘Derail’, there are plenty of other songs that could really make an impact. The two that really stood out for me were the anthemic ‘White T-Shirt and Jeans' and the pogo-provoking ‘Summer Gurl’ that’ll be sure to get crowds jumping at festivals this summer.
There are heavier moments with title track ‘Nature Nurture’, ‘Arizona Waiting’ and ‘Heather’ bringing the noise with distorted walls of guitars and blasting drums. The harder tracks really give this album a more dynamic feel without sounding too out of place; this is a very well rounded rock record that will please many different types of rock music fans.
Finally there’s a band that is bringing rock back to the masses in a time that is dominated by keyboard wielding hipsters and baseball cap clad rappers. If you like to rock (and or roll) and you want something to fill that void, then you need to check out Nature Nurture.
