Maggot - Dazey and The Scouts
The art of a “one and done”
Album Review by Alex Walden
Dazey and the Scouts’ sound is a blend of indie, surf rock, punk and dream pop which, when blended together, creates the perfect mix of personality and emotional vulnerability that fuels that angst to make you feel that riot grrrl energy. I originally discovered this album through the track Nice Nice (undeniably one of the best modern punk songs I’ve heard in years) the sheer explosiveness of the instrumentals and drums in the beginning had me immediately hooked and left me so excited to listen to the rest of the album; however, I must admit I was surprised when I found out that nothing else on the album matched that level of aggression and that I was looking for, however, make no mistake I was far from disappointed.
Often when we discover new artists, the first thing that immediately comes to mind is how we want to find more songs just like the one we just heard, and it can be really fun. I mean, who wouldn’t want to go on a deep dive of music in an attempt to replicate how they felt the first time they heard a song, hell I know damn well I’m guilty of it. I shudder to even think about how many hours I spent listening to Quarteto Em Cy records in an attempt to recreate how I felt listening to Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser for the first time. But what if all you have is just one album, the idea of hearing something so good to only know that you can’t go any further leaves a very bitter-sweet taste in one’s mouth, sure there’s other artists within the same genre, but you have no idea where to start and you doubt that they’d sound as good anyway. While it can be sad, it also gives an album a sacred feel to it, as if it’s a piece of history. This is all that ran through my mind when listening to Dazey and The Scouts’ 1st and only album Maggot. An album that gave us it all in just one go.
The Sound
This was due to the fact that it’s not only the sound of the band that can really fire you up; the topics of discussion throughout the album are far from light at all. Some good examples would be the songs Groan, Sweet Cis Teen and Nice in Nice in which you’ll find lyrics about grooming, T.E.R.F feminism, gender dysphoria and even their mockery of “nice” guys. These girls really lay it all out on the table to let you know what needs to change in this world. Despite this outcry of disgust towards taboo matters within modern society, it doesn’t feel edgy, explicit or like a taboo at all; rather it feels liberating, like a step in the right direction. However, these tracks have nothing on the song James Deen You Let us Down in which the title alone speaks for itself really. The song has an amazing dream pop style melody which, when paired with a catchy chorus does the job of sending a message perfectly. It’s as if the chorus was designed to get stuck in your head so every time you sing it, you’re reminded of the horrors of James Deen and the adult industry in general.
It is really no holds barred for these girls and while we may never get anything like this from them again. All we can do is hope that this album has fulfilled its goal in passing the torch to the next band to fill in their place.
Breaking Barriers
Album: Maggot
Artist: Dazey and The Scouts
Released: 13 April 2017
Highlights: Wet, James Dean You Let us Down, Maggot
Bruadarach Music Rating: ★★★★★
Listen to ‘Maggot’ here.