The most notable feature of Baltimore trio Double Dagger apart from the slightly freaky cover that is; they don’t do things by halves, it’s all or nothing judging by their latest EP Masks. Double Dagger have been compared to a plethora of great bands but whether this is true or not they certainly kick out jams conjuring up memories of post-punk and alternative legends.

Okay we aren’t witnessing the reinvention of the wheel here, but, Double Dagger feel fresh, urgent and they pack their own weighty punch. There is no messing around as they explode out of the blocks with ‘Imitation is the Most Boring Form of Flattery’  and ‘Pillow Talk’ exemplifying their simple yet super effective no-nonsense attitude to music, with crunching guitars, crashing cymbals and shout out loud lyrics, not to mention the perfectly worked Keyboard Cat riff of the latter.

Things take a slightly somnolent twist in name only however, with ‘Sleeping In Wolf’s Clothing’ and ‘Sleeping with the TV On’ which have a noticeably rough and ready garage rock sound with a likeness to Pavement or Sluts of Trust, screeching vocals and riffs to boot. There is just time for ‘Song for S’ a brief instrumental to conclude matters.

There is something beautifully appealing about their DIY style that manages to capture so much of the raucous volume and energy which so often goes missing. Importantly there earnest and intelligent lyric are both impressive and pivotal, not just gibberish as is often the case with bad garage punk, for which they are not.

For the full effect turn this up loud!

Mp3: Double Dagger – Pillow Talk