DZ Deathrays – Bloody Lovely
While there are fun moments on Bloody Lovely, which we reckon will sound great in a sweaty basement. Beyond that, there isn't really a lot else to this record
In the time since Brisbane two-piece DZ Deathrays released their last album, 2014's Black Rat, the "two guy rock band" gimmick has become a highly prominent entity. Perhaps the most notable duo are Royal Blood, but even Drenge, Slaves, and a returning Death from Above 1979 have put the notion firmly in the public eye. DZ Deathrays then, one of the older acts in this field (comparatively speaking), will be hoping to reap the rewards of this sound and gimmick which has proved so popular in recent years with their third album Bloody Lovely.
The obvious limitation with two-piece bands is that they, by definition, have to have a pretty singular sound. All the acts mentioned are pretty one-note, for better or worse, and DZ Deathrays are no different. They can all be fun to witness live – there's certainly a freedom afforded to "small-sized" bands that is relatively easy to create energy from – but unless you're someone who really craves the rock 'n' roll revival sound they all seem to reproduce (why is that?), then the reality is they can all get a bit tiring after a while.
DZ Deathrays are pretty consistent in that way. Yes, there are fun moments to their latest record, and there certainly are songs you can imagine sounding great while crammed in a small, sweaty basement nightclub, but beyond that, there isn't really a lot else to this, especially, when as mentioned, there's a whole slew of acts like this already.
Listen to: Total Meltdown, Guillotine, Shred for Summer