The debut album from the fiery London-based rockers,
Dumb Blood is a profanity-laced and politically charged rant of a record that mixes sneering English punk pathos with nervy, melody-driven indie rock. For the most part the crown is spared -- the Queen can apparently save herself -- but that doesn't mean that ringleader and band namesake Mattie Vant doesn't have a bone or five to pick with the world. In just over 40 minutes -- nearly an hour if you spring for the Special Edition -- Vant takes on climate change, education reform, sexual assault, the plight of Syrian refugees, American gun violence, etc., while the band dishes out punchy hooks both dulcet and discordant -- imagine
the Vaccines with lyrics inspired by
Noam Chomsky instead of millennial nostalgia.
Dumb Blood is aptly named, as Vant's blunt approach to the subject matter -- everything is in ALL CAPS -- effectively mirrors the obtuse authoritarianism of the 21st century's volatile second decade. It's not
Crass,
the Clash, or
the Pistols, but it's certainly of its generation. ~ James Christopher Monger