DAZE

istening to this punk-pop band managed what my raspberry kamikaze didn’t a few nights ago – they had me bouncing around my room as the stereo played, with something that strangely resembled a smile on my face. DAZE is a New York based band that I am very newly familiar with; I haven’t even seen them live yet. What’s interesting about DAZE is how they hold true to the sound of a genre but in a way that gives it an entirely new feel. The grand majority of punk-pop that I listen to is bitter, about unrequited love and relationships gone badly. I’m a sucker for that sort of stuff, so it’s not as infuriating as one would expect – but that this band embraces entirely different subject matter in their lyrics is more refreshing than I can say. This band’s song lyrics are very sexually based – a random choice of lyrics from the title track “Fresh Red”, will reflect that:

“The naughty playground that you throw on me, body’s bedtime chat
Your crescent moonshine backline jumps on me, I love the attack
Niagara syndrome the wet sheet kiss
Intense addiction to the sacred O, sacred O”
It happens to be that in life, the weaknesses caused by a person’s desires and sensuality is one of the great equalizers. This band uses that truth to create lyrics that are smart and catchy – and backs it up with some awesome guitar riffs. While the production of the CD is a little rougher-sounding than I like, on some level it contributes to the raw attraction the band permeates. I plan to check DAZE out at Continental in NYC on Wednesday, January 28 – I’ll report back on how their studio sound translates to a live setting after that.
- Culturedose.net