Dumb Pups - Shade
Houston, Texas pop-punk outfit Dumb Pups dropped their new EP, Shade, just a few days ago.
Dumb Pups
Made up of Mark Faerman (lead vocals, guitar), Tanner Howe (vocals, bass), and Ricky Orta (drums, looking sexy), there’s next to zero gen available on the band. They have an Instagram page with a bunch of cool photos and a link to their Bandcamp page which exhibits a dearth of information, other than who is in the band, a shout-out to Giri Bulsara for letting them use his acoustic guitar, and the fact the EP was produced by Trey Karnes, in Leander, Texas.
Their Facebook page cites the band’s interests: ripping gigs with the homies.
So to quote Porky Pig, “That’s all folks!”
The title track opens on an unctuous lounge guitar accompanied by weak percussion, akin to something you’d hear at Ramada Inn’s live music night.
However, they do make cool music. Shade encompasses three-tracks, beginning with “Polaroids + Cigarettes,” which opens with Mark’s mom screaming at him, asking him where he’s going and telling him to make his bed. Mark’s reply is, “Yeah, yeah.” From there, a low-slung rumbling bassline emerges flowing into a rolling, tasty pop-punk tune riding tight drums and the expanding bassline, all topped by a dirty growling guitar. Faerman’s voice carries just the right amount of sneering punk attitude and pissy angst.
“Ginger Ale” travels on thrumming dynamics, a galloping beat, with a grandly thumping kick-drum, and snarling vocal tones. A slow, gleaming breakdown with a cacophonous guitar shifts the tempo, and them ramps back up to pummeling levels. Searing guitar accents infuse the harmonics with edgy tones, adding wicked strident notes.
The title track opens on an unctuous lounge guitar accompanied by weak percussion, akin to something you’d hear at Ramada Inn’s live music night. When the real music kicks in, it glows with lo-fi energy, vaguely reminiscent of the Kings of Leon: dirty guitars emanating grungy timbres, and tangs of emo, à la The Cure, but mixed with heady pop-punk-lite muscle. It’s a grand song.
The Dumb Pups really have it going on, projecting rough, visceral pop-punk crowned with Mark Faerman’s grimacing tenor.
