The Glasgow alt rock lads have been on a nonstop roll since their arrival, where they made an instant impression and amassed a healthy following in such a short timeframe. Their debut EP earlier this year Before It Wasn’t was a success, and their second release is just as tasty.
Only One is a promising beginning. We get a damn catchy guitar line and an easy going yet echoic rhythm that rears a smooth groove that then transforms into an outbreak of resounding noise, as per typical Dutch Wine. They keep it going forward with Maple, where the harmonies are in good condition, the lyrics surrounding not feeling like you’re not doing enough to meet high expectations have a grip on you, and the chorus is smashing.
We get some effective self-reflection in Mistake, specifically an honest dealing with personal faults and the unfortunate negative results to come from this, it’s probably their most heartfelt and candid track thus far, and that comes through clearly in the performances, but if you thought that was candid, in As The Sun itself, the words are piercingly nasty, directed at the person who’s caused much harm and torture. Even though the singing is calm and of a mainly low intensity, there are such blatantly clear-cut layers of stinging bitterness behind the vocals.
The solid Object Of Desire goes into lustful feelings stuck in the head that refuse to fade away and are difficult to control and get a grasp of, and lastly is April, and oh god, the riff chords are sooooo infectious. There’s a musing flow to the whole thing, but of course, being this band, they don’t leave without one last riotous pop.
Well, I frankly found this fantastic. The first EP, I was blown sideways by their damn heavy, practically gut-punching music, but this time around, there was an attentive focus on the writing which is enthralling, affecting and at its best slices in deep, so a tonne of development in that area. Dutch Wine are a bloody good trio, and if you haven’t checked them out, what are you waiting for? Get on them now, their potential is limitless.
SMALL MUSIC SCENE 