Dead Dads Club – Dead Dads Club
Chilli Jesson (Palma Violets, Fontaines D.C.) has taken the long road to the top – but he's picking up momentum on his debut album fronting Dead Dads Club
As debut albums go, this one has been a long time in the making. Chilli Jesson first gained notoriety as a member of Palma Violets, much feted in the 2010s with a prestigious deal with Rough Trade, and several high-profile support slots. Then – a period of reflection. The band split, Jesson’s subsequent pop singles were seen as curios at best, and it felt like his moment might have passed. Enter stage left, Fontaines D.C., who plucked Jesson from obscurity to stadium stages as a member of their touring outfit. Furthermore, Carlos O'Connell from Fontaines takes on production duties for this, Jesson’s latest venture fronting Dead Dads Club. And on this performance, the long audition is about to lead to adulation.
The album kicks off with the somewhat introverted tone of It’s Only Just Begun, but on second track and recent single, Volatile Child, it all kicks off. There will be much to admire for Fontaines fans, but anyone with a penchant for the poppier end of The Cure’s catalogue will also find plenty to love. Humming Wires has a distinct echo of Needle in the Hay by Elliott Smith, and it’s that kind of brooding, pent up energy which Dead Dads Club bring to this spirited opening salvo.
Listen to: Volatile Child, Don’t Blame the Son for the Sins of the Father, Humming Wires