There’s a lot to like about Dumb Luck. They play that sort of jangly, poppy punk that sounds a bit country (the same country I hear in Dan Padilla). I love the female vocals that come in—not on every song, but just the perfect refreshing amount. Her voice is beautiful, but cracking and imperfect and so punk. I’d love to hear her sing more in another band, but I think that the male/female vocalist trade-off in Dumb Luck builds a tension and anticipation for her vocals. I like the assured delivery of the lead male vocal. Aside from a minor a criticism about the songs being too similar, it’s a damn fine cassette I want to keep playing over and over. The reason I keep coming back to it hits on something deeper: “are we playing at survival/’cause it’s sinking more/ than I care to admit/and as the water flows around us/it’s always keep your chin up boy/face the torrent.” The inflection of the last part is cryptic: What do they mean by “it’s always?”There’s a twinge of bitterness in their delivery. Are they making fun of that patronizing cliché you hear/are told when shit gets rough? Is it a (reluctant) anthem? Is it just a cynical acknowledgment of the cold facts of life? Right now, I’m keeping my chin up because I have no other choice. It doesn’t feel noble or brave or resilient; it feels like the unsure voice in the song, in the words they wrote. In a different time, I might prefer an anthem or even a bleak depressing hardcore dirge, but right now, I’ll take Dumb Luck—a perfect salve for the bleak times I’m going through. I’ll be spinning this one for a while.
–Craven Rock (Self-released)