Review by Will Harris

Self-released

Release date: 31 May 2014

I suppose from the sheer sound of Birmingham three-piece Dead Sea Skulls you might be tempted to call them a ‘power trio’, but their distinctive repertoire, blending hard-hitting garage rock, spiky-punk and melodic indie sensibilities, is undeserving of such a cliché. What’s more, from the thrashing chorus of new EP Eau De Kitchen’s opener, ‘I Wanna Buy A Rolex’, it’s immediately clear that the ‘power’ tag is kind of stating the bleedin’ obvious. Their debut release, last year’s five-track Fortune Favours The Brave, showed off with great panache not only their immediately-engaging sound but also the breadth of their musical palette; they could rock like Wolfmother, drop riffs like QOTSA and even spin a melody like Two Door Cinema Club. On Eau De Kitchen, that all comes through again, stronger and more refined.

The aforementioned lead single, a pacing, rocking romp succinctly summing up the grind (and implied futility) of the rat race, makes for an exhilarating introduction, making way for the occasionally angular neo-grunge, and equally heavy, of ‘Turnin’ Away’. There’s room for dancing on tracks such as the catchy ‘What’s The Remedy’, with its staccato-chord verses, and ‘Time It Waits For No One’, featuring latter-day Arctic Monkeys-worthy, Saturday-night vibe verses and a high-impact mid-tempo refrain. ‘Walking The Night’ even borrows a little from – and DSS will probably hate this comparison – Phil Collins’ ‘Easy Lover’, but they make the best possible use of it for the track’s adhesive hook. This is only testament to the Birmingham trio’s ability and talent; if any young band can successfully pull off a Collins reference (whether intentional or not) on an EP that also rocks your socks off, then they’re surely destined for bigger things. A must-listen.

8.5 out of 10

Dead Sea Skulls play the Victoria, Birmingham on 11th July.

• Dead Sea Skulls on Facebook

Track listing:

1. I Wanna Buy A Rolex
2. Turning Away From You
3. What’s The Remedy
4. Time It Waits For No One
5. Walking The Night
6. Givin’ It Up