Die! Die! Die! : Promises, Promises

Last week, while suffering through the cinematic tour de force known as Black Sheep (tagline: There are 40 million sheep in New Zealand... and they're pissed off!), it occurred to me that I knew very little about New Zealand. Sure, I knew they had a lot of sheep even before watching the film, but beyond that, the country was largely a black box for me. As the body count climbed on screen and my mind drifted, I came up with the indigenous Māori, The All Blacks and their kick-ass hakas, and OMC. Not real impressive, especially when you consider that the United States went through a period of infatuation with their Aussie neighbors that ultimately led to us getting stuck with Men At Work, Paul Hogan and Vegemite among other things.

As luck would have it, the very next day, the postman delivered Promises, Promises, the second full-length release from Kiwis, Die! Die! Die! Released February 19th in the U.S. and Canada on SAF Records, Promises, Promises is a dazzling successor to their self-titled 2005 debut, which incidentally was recorded in Chicago with none other than Steve Albini at the helm.

Mere sprogs, Die!Die!Die! flaunts influences that belie their tender ages and astute listeners should have little trouble identifying intimation of The Cure, The Misfits (as in Die, Die, Die My Darling), Joy Division and Wire. Of those bands, however, only the Glenn Danzig-fronted Misfits approach Die!Die!Die!'s rawness. Mind you, there's nothing terribly new within Promises, Promises; the pummeling drums, driving basslines and waves of guitar noise are as old as John Lydon's hairpiece, but the urgency and earnestness of the performances elevates this record above almost anything masquerading as punk (or post-punk) today. Additionally, there's something vaguely menacing about Die!Die!Die! Maybe it's just because they're from New Zealand, I don't know, but when Andrew Wilson calmly states, "You see, you're the type of person who needs to learn there's no difference between a knife in your hand and a gun in your back," midway through Sideways Here We Come, I may not know exactly what he's getting at, but I suspect it doesn't bode well for me.

These lads have made a name for themselves in recent years, globe hopping with the old guard (Wire and Slint) as well as with recent breakout acts like Wolfmother and Blood Brothers. With Promises, Promises under their belt, they'll again be bringing their incendiary live show to our shores and practically be eligible for U.S. citizenship by the time SXSW wraps up. You're only hurting yourself if you don't check them out.

Move-out-of-your-parents'-basement-music-geek-only note: Promises, Promises was produced by "New Zealands's greatest song writer," Shayne Carter, who was the leader of a band I never realized was from NZ, Straitjacket Fits. Learn more about New Zealand popular music at your local library.

Die! Die!Die! - Sideways Here We Come

U.S. Tour Dates after the jump...


Los Angeles, California
Mar 7 2008
2:00P

SXSW@Red Eye Fly w/ White Denim
Austin, Texas
Mar 12 2008
3:00P

SXSW@The Wave (Fanatic Promotion Showcase)
Austin, Texas
Mar 13 2008
12:00A

SXSW@The Dirty Dog w/The Donnas (Redeye Distribution Party)
Austin, Texas
Mar 14 2008
12:00A

SXSW@Emo’s Lounge (Skyscraper Magazine Party)
Austin, Texas
Mar 15 2008
12:00A

SXSW@219 West Bar w/The Slits, Junius and more!!(SAF/Mushpot Party)
Austin, Texas
Mar 16 2008
8:00P

SXSW
Austin, Texas
Apr 2 2008
8:00P

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