(Etch n Sketch/Inertia)

Kiwi post-punks are fragile...

Andrew Wilson’s position as a frontman is a precarious one. Promises Promises sees Die! Die! Die! pushing further their fragile dynamics, as the impassioned singer is pummelled by the force and complexity of his rhythm section. The tragic power struggle within the three-piece accentuates the personal nature of the record, though sometimes at the expense of good mixing. Wilson’s guitar is often too understated to be melodically effective, while his vocals regularly avoid conventional melody all together. The strangled sentimentality of the Kiwi singer’s voice sits right forward in the mix, highlighting the nuances that really define his performance, but it seems at times disembodied from the music itself, while Michael Prain and Lachlan Anderson effortlessly make the sections and songs flow-by with calculated sinuosity. The songwriting too, is as thoughtful as it is unorthodox, though never quite perfect. Instead, everything about Promises Promises reinforces the image of someone struggling to keep their head above water, and I happen to like that a lot.

JAKEB SMITH

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