In terms of the indie genre, I have to admit, there’s not much I can find to say about Last Dinosaur’s EP Back from the Dead. It has the drilling drums, the persistent bass lines, the two guitars doing their rhythm-lead/rhythm-rhythm thing and the vocals with harmonies at specific points.
‘Honolulu’ has some great soaring harmonies and interesting guitar sounds, ‘As Far as You’re Concerned’ is likely to get heads nodding and feet tapping at shows, and ‘Alps’ gets a disco feel happening with the beat and guitar. My favourite track was the short ‘As Far As You’re Concerned’ Reprise at the end, redoing the first track but without the vocals and slowed down. That was a cool sound, very chill.
It’s not grating on the ears by any means, but at the same time it’s not hugely exciting either. One thing I can definitely say is that it’s been recorded and mixed really well, as everything sounded great and meshed together beautifully. I’ve had conversations with people about liking albums for the music or for how the music is mixed, and I’ve come to realise that the latter is just as important as the former. If you can get the mix right, you’re definitely on the victorious side. Watch out for Last Dinosaurs over the next couple of months. With the barrage of tours and shows they’re tackling, and time to learn and experiment with their style and skills, they’ll musically mature in interesting ways.
Their album Strict Embargo is out now through Dew Process, and I give the Back from the Dead EP a 6.5/10.
