Sydney, Australia’s post-punk collective DEN – expertly comprised of Michael Grossman, Steven Hicks, Tomas Nunez, and Michael Hassett – has been making waves around the world with news of their self-titled debut EP. In fact, Henry Rollins premiered the EP in its entirety on KCRW last week, garnering even more attention for the band. They’ve gotten quite a bit of attention from BBC, and their EP – which found its release last Friday – has already been very well received.
And we can see why. The six track stunner leads you through mountains and valleys of intense, layered sound that has roots in a myriad of genres. “Life in Chains” has synth-heavy instrumentals that are fast and otherworldly, building like horror movie theme music. In the background you can hear vocals being talk/sung with an immense amount of reverb until you’re surrounded in sound. “Poltergeist” – an already well-received single – sounds more surf pop, with heavy guitar riffs claiming its bright spots. “Inter-view” feels like you’re in a Bowser level of Super Mario Brothers, with intensity high enough to get you through the most insane of Bob-omb catapults.
“Inertia” has already received air play, and we can see why. Heavy, dark, it’s certainly loaded with energy to fuel anyone’s workout routine. (Or insane alcohol-driven bender. That too.) “Current Riser” might hold a positive connotation with “riser” in the title – and it certainly has an airier feel to it – but don’t let that mistake you, as it’s just as layered and intense as its predecessors. It all wraps up with “In the Stare”, our favorite track on the release. It feels at once like a carefree dance song and like someone is leading a protest, and don’t ask us why.
You might just have to listen to it. In fact, we implore you to.
Den is available now.
