- Does It Offend You, Yeah? No
British dance punk band Does It Offend You, Yeah?’s long awaited second album, Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You, finally dropped on March 14.
Describing them as dance punk is me taking the easy route because it doesn’t quite capture the overall essence of who these guys really are. Yes, their sound on both albums can be categorized as having a prominent electronic rock sound, but they do it in such a wide array of different styles that it can’t be pinpointed directly.
I was fortunate enough to be introduced to DIOYY? shortly after their first release, You Have No Idea What You’re Getting Yourself Into, and I was instantly hooked on how they combined such synthesized grooves with Hulk smashing, face crunching electronic bass lines. Their album titles definitely speak for themselves.
I saw them perform in hole in a wall venue in Chapel Hill, NC to a crowd of less than a hundred people, and it ranks right up there as one of my favorite concerts. Non-stop dancing and flat out rocking out. Energy beyond belief.
My friends and I, completely drenched in sweat and sober as a Mormon on Sunday, walked out of the club feeling like there was a lack of gravity because we were too high. Let me give you a mental image of how much fun that show was. Right before the band went on, a kid with purple glowsticks hanging from his ears and clearly on something due to the copious amounts of water he was drinking, turns to the crowd and yells, “THIS IS GOING TO BE AWESOME!” Whatever he was on must have given him uncanny abilities to foresee the future.
Back to the album. Three and half years later I’m finally getting my new DIOYY? fix. “We Are the Dead” opens the album acoustically transitioning to a rousing, progressively building electronic arena rock crescendo. The second track, “John Hurts”, strays to the band’s inner punk angst until the breaking point of chaos. Having decided to give the audience a chance to collect any belongings they may have lost along the way, the band turns things way down with the indie rock, electro pop hit “Pull Out My Insides.” Only three songs in and each one has been done in such a varying, yet cohesive style. Not everyone may like that about these guys, but it’s what makes them stand out to me.
The bully of Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You is definitely the aptly titled “Wrestler.” Pit this song up against any other on the album and it’s a two hit fight every time. “Wrestler” hittin’ said song and that song hittin’ the floor. DIOYY? adds new weapons to their already vast artillery by throwing in rap vocals over a gritty dance punk beat on “Wondering.” They really test the spectrum on the last track, “Broken Arms”, by bringing back the acoustic vibe from the opener and extending it into their version of what is supposed to be an epic ballad sendoff.
I appreciate what they’re trying to do on this one, but if they’re going to continue to try new things I’d rather it be more in the vein of the dark, yet funky “Wrong Time, Wrong Planet.” As with most good albums, Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You has continually gotten better with each listening.
It really occurred to me how much I was enjoying it when I was driving around town. Windows down and volume turned up to the appropriately level of loud that DIOYY? needs to be listened at.
So, regardless of whether you have heard them before or not, you should give it a go. What’s the worst that could happen? Mental insanity from the at times out of control noise and the methodically thought out no sense of real direction? Hey, like they said, Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You.