Spectreview: Dirty Princes – Prince of Hearts

-RED-

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It might not be obvious, but garage rock takes a lot of work to sound good. It might be simple to gather a few people and plug in a few amps, but the level of coordination required to sound tight and loud is easy to underestimate. Luckily, Ontario band Dirty Princes make it feel effortless with their new EP, Prince of Hearts. They’ve been playing together for a few years now and are already a few records in, but this EP is a huge step up for them, thanks in part to upgraded production (via Matt Wiewal of Deadpan) but also to the band’s palpable level up in confidence. At just over 11 minutes, not a note is wasted between blistering, catchy garage pop workouts (“Give It And Go”; “Never Saw Mulan”) and college rock singalongs (“Wastoid”), and the playing is super tight all the way through. Major credit has to go to lead singer Shawn Kosmo, whose voice elevates the whole record by hitting that deliriously unhinged sweet spot ala Paul Westerberg. Any fan of DIY rock should do themselves a favor and check out this record.

Recommended for a good thrashing.

(Oh, and if you decide to buy from this link, part of the proceeds go to the National Center for Transgender Equality! Pretty cool right?)