Dope Body’s coming, yo!
The press release for the band discourages us from “[comparing] their ferocity to another contender.” Why not? Because when something’s good enough, you don’t need to make comparisons to prove it. So, if you like your punk measured out in raw slabs, if you prefer your squeals scalding, it won’t take an argument or a catalogue of influences to get you on Dope Body’s side. Besides, in this reporter’s meek library, there are some clear precursors to Dope Body, but really nothing quite the same — no contenders, if you will, in the same weight class. Or at least of the same species.
Dope Body are from Baltimore, a city whose rage they seem to have fed right into their mainline. While the big thumping smacks on “Lazy Slave” would likely devolve into a generic hair-flaunting fetish in the hands of less-controlled psychos, these guys keep it interesting throughout. While sampling genres where cliché and mimesis rule, Dope Body mange to innovate atop the very musical vocabulary that makes this kind of stuff so quickly boring for so many listeners. While many bands appear to operate under the false logic that decibels equal distinction, Dope Body prove that sometimes it actually can be true. I’m very, very excited to hear the album in full.
Natural History comes from Drag City on May 22.
• Dope Body: http://dopebody.tumblr.com/
• Drag City: http://www.dragcity.com/artists/dope-body
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