Alternative-rock band Nothing But Thieves saw massive success from their Dead Club City album in 2023. Some of the band’s accolades due to the album include being voted by BBC Radio 1 listeners as Hottest Record Of The Year beating out artists such as Miley Cyrus, Olivia Rodrigo and Doja Cat. Dead Club City was the band’s second Top 10 ARIA Album and the band’s first No. 1 UK album.
While riding the record’s massive fame, the Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, native band decided to re-release their concept-style record to include five new tracks. The band released three new tracks and two stripped-down versions of songs already released.
The record’s concept is centered around the band’s city-sized members-only club. Throughout the album, fans can see themes and arcs of the club and the city. Dead Club City is the band’s fourth studio record released.
The album starts with “Welcome to the DCC,” (DCC stands for the Dead Club City). This track introduces fans to the band’s alternative rock style that has brought them to massive heights of popularity as it reached triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2023. Whether it’s the funky groove from the rhythm section of drummer James Price and synthesizer Dom Craik “Welcome to the DCC,” does an outstanding job of grabbing listeners’ attention and forcing them to see what else the record has in store.
Track two, “Overcome,” appeals to the pop side of the band. The beat from Price mixed with the vocals of singer Conor Mason creates the perfect combination for this song. Halfway through the three-minute and 35-second track, guitarist Joe Langridge-Brown enters with a stinging guitar solo while Craik compliments his guitar-playing with lighter synthesizers.
As fans move to track three they are greeted with “Tomorrow Is Closed.” This song could be one of the band’s strongest songs on the record. This tune should be on every radio station’s radar as a potential Song of The Summer. The only proper way to listen to this song is to drive fast with the windows down. I love the jumpy chorus of this song and it will never fail to put listeners in great moods.
Track five, “City Haunts,” is the entry for Mason to showcase his vocal range. Mason shows off his upper range on the chorus between crunchy riffs from Langridge-Brown and Craik. This straightforward rock and roll song has something for every type of fan. The harmonies are at the top of their game on this song and will have fans tapping their feet and bobbing their heads for the entirety of the track. This song is one of my absolute favorites on the album.
Tracks five and six are the one-two combination. If “City Haunts” is the boxer’s quick jab then “Do You Love Me Yet?” is the knockout punch. This five-minute and 27-second track features smooth lyrics from Mason while the rhythm section of Price, bassist Phil Blake and Craik hold down the fort for Langridge-Brown to lay down bone-chilling guitar riffs. The inclusion of strings on the chorus was a sweet touch by Craik and John Gilmore and Mike Crossey. All three handled production, engineering and mixing respectively for this record.
The remaining five songs on the record, “Members Only,” “Green Eyes :: Siena,” “Foreign Language,” “Talking To Myself,” and “Pop The Balloon,” all are great songs in their own right. “Green Eyes :: Siena,” and “Talking To Myself,” explore the band’s softer side while “Pop The Balloon,” is one of the band’s harder songs to close out the original material.
Furthermore, the next track, “Time :: Fate :: Karma :: God” is a fast-paced song that would be great live. This song has that 80’s techno-pop feel to it which does a great job bringing in a broader range of fans.
On this record, the additions of the three previously unreleased tracks and the two stripped-down songs add great exclusivity to the album, making fans question what else the band has up their sleeves. It’s always great when a band re-releases a record to include additional tracks like Dead Club City (Deluxe) does.
Taking the concept-style album route is an excellent way to introduce fans to the band’s exclusive club. At the end of the record, fans will be begging for more music. It doesn’t take long to realize why the band has 5.4 million monthly listeners and 1.1 million followers on Spotify.
Through their alternative sound, crafted to be the band’s bread and butter, Dead Club City (Deluxe) is a fantastic mix of alternative rock music that can only propel the band to greater heights.
Rating:
7.5/10
Tracklist:
1. Welcome to the DCC
2. Overcome
3. Tomorrow Is Closed
4. Keeping You Around
5. City Haunts
6. Do You Love Me Yet?
7. Members Only
8. Green Eyes :: Siena
9. Foreign Language
10. Talking To Myself
11. Pop The Balloon
12. Oh No :: He Said What?
13. Time :: Fate :: Karma :: God
14. Pure You
15. Overcome (Stripped)
16. Tomorrow Is Closed (Stripped)
Nothing But Thieves Is:
Conor Mason – Lead Vocals
Joe Langridge-Brown – Guitars
James Price – Drums
Dom Craik – Guitar / Keyboard & Piano
Phil Blake – Bass
Follow Nothing But Thieves Online:
My love for live music started with my first concert ever, Guns N’ Roses back in 2016. Since then, I’ve been able to capture photos of some amazing artists like Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, Ace Frehley, and Post Malone. I am based in New York/New Jersey and go to school in Connecticut majoring in Journalism and I am always looking for the next concert to attend.
