Don't Sleep is a relatively new band fronted by Dave Smalley. They appeared on the scene a couple of years ago with the release of a self-titled 12" on what was a new label, Unity Worldwide Records. I remember thinking at the time that I wasn't interested in hearing it as I had given up on Down By Law many years ago, and the DYS reunion (from what I saw of it) wasn't something that really interested me. But this year the band released a full length on the newish label Mission Two Entertainment (which is basically Victory Records reborn), and I saw a few pople posting it on instgram, and I was curious. I think at the time I just wanted to listen to something new, and I kinda wanted something with a bit more melody. So I downloaded it and found myself enjoying it pretty much immediately. So of course I then decided to buy a copy.
The vinyl itself is referred to as 'clear with apple red splatter'. I guess 'appled red' must be some american slang term for 'pink'. Anyway, there were 150 copies made on this colour, and it is now sold out, although I'm sure you can pick up an overpriced copy from discogs if you are desperate.
I do find this record really catchy. The songs have a varied sound. Some are faster and heavier than others, but all have Dave Smalley's unmistakable vocal over the top. I think it's more Down By Law than Dag Nasty. Sure, some people are cynically think that a record from Dave Smalley put out on Victory Records Mark 2 is not worth their attention, but they'd be missing out. This will definitely be in my list of best records for the year, if I make one.
1 comment:
Like you, I was looking for something new to listen to when I came across the new Don't Sleep. I checked it out and it immediately reminded me of the early Down By Law records that I enjoy. I still haven't bought a copy of this, but I do like to listen to it every once in a while, so I might grab one at some point.
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