Music blogs are always desperate for an angle when it comes to covering a new artist. Is there a compelling back story to the recording? Does the artist have an outlandish manifesto? What idiosyncrasies can we fixate on in lieu of talking about the actual music? Taken from this perspective, Atlanta trio Dasher’s origins and mission statement are relatively simple-Kylee Kimbrough wrote a handful of songs on bass, switched over to drums and vocals, enlisted friends Ian Deaton and Jon Allinson to round out the lineup, and documented the humble beginnings with a debut cassette, Yeah I Know. While that premise is simple enough, describing Dasher’s sound is a more complicated affair. Kimbrough cites Patti Smith as a major inspiration. Spin Magazine heard elements of Killing Joke and Wire. Band interviews mention the importance of local hardcore bands Manic and Ralph. Somehow all of these reference points work, yet none of them quite do the band justice. Granted, Kimbrough’s commanding vocal delivery would make Patti proud. The primitive urgency of punk pioneers certainly pulses throughout Dasher’s catalog. And the deliberate squall of basement hardcore permeates throughout their latest offering, a two-song 7″ courtesy of Suicide Squeeze Records. Recorded by Jason Kingsland, “Soviet” b/w “Teeth” captures the no-frills energy of Atlanta’s most propulsive post-punk band without tagging on any of the unnecessary conceptual or historical talking points lazy music writers rely on.
The 7″ is available worldwide on a limited run of 750 copies (250 on fluorescent lemon lime colored vinyl, 500 on black) and includes a download coupon. The two songs are also available digitally.