Dance Before You Sleep is the new nine-track record by Norwich’s Ducking Punches. The band fall neatly into that category of uncategorisable punk music. It’s acousticy, folky, punky, yet it skirts the edges of the genres and sounds fresh. After supporting Frank Turner in Europe and playing Download festival, the band are certainly gaining momentum.
From the outset of opener “It’s Been a Bad Few Weeks” it becomes clear that this is a record with depth. The majority of the tracks have a certain negative edge to them lyrically, yet the music often feels positive. The female backing vocals, violin and electric guitar are all often subtle yet play a big part in cementing the band’s sound.
The bright “Big Brown Pills From Lynn” immediately stands out as the catchiest song on the record which builds up into its repeated refrain of “we had all the attention. God damn, it nearly killed us.” Yet the song which stands out most is heart-wrenching closer “Six Years” which deals with the death of a friend in a blunt and authentic way. The vocals are strained over simple acoustic guitar melodies allowing the emotion to come to the forefront. An amazing end to a great, short record.
This album is a great display of what the DIY punk community often comes out with. There’s no reason this band shouldn’t be as popular as someone like Frank Turner right now. The music is sincere and real. It’s a short and sweet affair which manages to conjure up a ton of emotions.
