Added on May 26, 2011  Robert Chesley  alternative , Battle Over Brooklyn , blink 182 , Die Pretty , green day

Die Pretty’s “Battle Over Brooklyn” – Review

Die Pretty is an interesting mix of punk, alternative, and pop that has a sound that is often hard to describe. Their latest EP “Battle Over Brooklyn” takes the listener on an interesting ride through the band’s interesting mix of genres.

Die Pretty is a punk/alternative act from New York City. To me, they are most similar to Tsunami Bomb. There is much debate in the punk rock community over female vocalists. Personally, I feel they bring to the table a range that is seldom heard in the genre. Sarah has a full range voice that sometimes crosses the gritty punk line, but also she belts out some really great melody lines as well. Their 2009 debut “Bittersweet”, is a typical punk rock record. Loud guitars, we can play faster than you, and typically in your face music. In other words, right up my alley.

I was eager to hear what this promising young band had in them for their next release, EP “Battle Over Brooklyn”. The EP starts off with the song “7th Avenue”. Which you can tell immediately that the band has grown musically since their 2009 release. The music is more interesting and feels like it is better produced. Right from the start, you can hear a lot of what makes this band so good, you’re almost caught singing along with the band from the first listen. It is a good summer anthem I think, living for today is a good mantra to live by. Lets delve into the next track “Let Me Out”, this is more of the style we’re used to seeing from Die Pretty, fast punky guitars with a great sing along chorus. I found myself bouncing in my seat whenever I listen to this track. This is definitely one of the stronger tracks I’ve heard by them. We get a good idea of Sarah’s range on this song as well. We also get a good Pennywise-esque guitar solo. Definitely my favorite of the EP so far. Last up on this EP is “Voices”, which I included the video to below. This song was really interesting to me. It has a cool 80s new wave vibe to it. I really enjoyed this song. It has some really cool breakdowns and is one of the best songs structurally they have done.

So onto the bullet list?

– Refreshing. Typically when you hear bands with a female singer, the rest of the band “doesn’t matter”. Not so, with Die Pretty. I found myself enjoying the guitars and drums as much as singing.

– Natural progression of pop-punk. I’m a huge fan of Pop-Punk and in my opinion there haven’t been too many really good bands to get new takes on the tired and true formula of Blink 182 or Green Day. Die Pretty adds a cool 80s New Wave vibe to some of their songs and I love hearing it.

– Production quality. There is a noticable difference in quality over their 2009 release. I feel it is worth noting that the band sounds great and we can hear how far the band has come.

– “Voices”. This song is definitely the standout track. Really catchy, shows the music talent of the band, and will get stuck in your head.

– Short. It’s a 3-song EP. I realize typically EPs are about 3 songs long, but this EP left me clamoring for more.

– Lyrics. Most of the lyrics share the same theme of wanting to figure out life and the uncertainty of the future. While, I didn’t find them too redundant, they did feel awfully similar to each other.

Bottom line. If you like punk rock or alternative music, you’ll find something to like about Die Pretty. I feel all three songs are strong enough to hold their own as singles on any given release. My only real knock is that it was short. I really wanted to hear more songs from these guys.

Battle Over Brooklyn at Amazon