Critically acclaimed is a term that gets used a lot to describe bands that are on the up and up, but when it comes to The Dead Daisies, there’s no understating how much critics like myself have been in love with their classic rock sound as of late. Their new single “Make Some Noise” does everything we would want a song titled as much to accomplish and just a little more, and while the guitars and the beats are by far the hottest component of the fire here, they aren’t the main reason why so many people – rockers and critics the same – are looking at this band as one of the more important around in their scene right now. There’s a lot of classic rock influence over the structure of this song, specifically with the way the chorus comes together.
Led by the soaring vocal, the tempo modulates and we shift into the most cathartic stage of the track with the bass somewhat lagging, but this feels completely deliberate on The Dead Daisies’ part. They’re cultivating anxiety against the release created by the lyrics, and the clash of the two emotions ends up producing the most incendiary and enthralling moment of their discography thus far. This is a truly complete piece of music, and it’s a good exhibit of what the band’s rivals should be striving for. The furious urgency driving the percussion home to us in “Make Some Noise” has a big effect on how we interpret the passionate verses here, but at no point does the adrenaline in the rhythm translate as rushing from the drummer. Every one of these players sounds very disciplined and in control, never relying on the person beside them when contributing something to the whole of the track. There’s no slacking in this crew, and you don’t have to be a professional music critic to hear that in the performance they give in this release.
The singing undeniably injects the grittier, guitar-focused parts of “Make Some Noise” with melodic ribbonry when we the audience need it the most, and though this might have reduced the explosiveness of the composition with another vocalist conveying the words, it’s got the right chops to own both the verses and the overdriven harmonies they’re framed by.
Nothing is motivating this performance other than a love of the high that comes with crushing the listeners with everything this band can do with the power of the amps at their fingertips. In a jam-packed rock underground that is only going to get bigger and more noteworthy as the 2020s press on, this is one band that could be described as leading the way for both their peers and the fans who count on them for premium riffing. The Dead Daisies don’t have anything to prove to anyone anymore, but they don’t play like a group of musicians who aren’t trying to edge out the competition with something a little heavier than the status quo can tolerate. They’ve got me intrigued by the prospect of a new renaissance for rock n’ roll, and I think their latest single “Make Some Noise” might have the same impact on you.
Mindy McCall
