Dead Nice - ‘Obscene’ review
Dead Nice
Melo-punk newbies Dead Nice have the mammoth task of lighting a fire under the Leicester music scenes. Something the quintet is definitely on the road to achieving with the release of their debut EP Obscene, showing us a clear passion for the genre and a blank canvas with a lot of potential.
The opener 'Outsider' is actually the only track not released well before Obscene, but it hits all the marks. Vocalist John Conyers has the classic vocal style needed in the punk genre. The group has also got the balance dead on for pacing in 'Outsider'. It's got a catchy chorus and feels like the most complete track on the EP, whilst also being the shortest. Imagine Sum 41 met Cancer Bats.
We touched on the debut track 'Occupier' in our September coverage, and it features next on Obscene. As messages go, the concept Dead Nice decided to run with is most obvious here. Conyers has said so in interviews as well, with the track being “about letting go, not wanting to be saved". 'Occupier' focuses more on maintaining a heavier sound, and 'Outsider' is more melodic. Here we'd take that Sum 41 comparison and swap for Hawthorne Heights, especially with harsh vocals in the last third of the song. I would argue this track does more for the band as it shows more range.
The final track ‘Observer’ dropped over a month ago. This is very much Dead Nice’s foray into a proper punk sound. This does a lot to highlight Michael Manger on the drums as that felt the most prominent when listening. Again, the inclusion of some screamed vocals draws a lot of intrigue for what else this group has in the tank, and when they’ll be showing us that.
Having just torn the house down with a show at The Soundhouse in Leicester, we very much look forward to where Dead Nice pops up next. The band does a lot with only ten minutes. While the EP was brief, it shows a lot of work put in with Dave Tidamrsh from Zephyr Studios
Obscene from Dead Nice is out now and available on all good streaming platforms.