I don’t know what it is about America’s hat, but most Canadian bands are just out of reach for me. And I don’t mean that they’re unattainable—just that, with few exceptions, they don’t enter my scope of listening selection very often. So, yes, for several months I’ve heard accolades of The Dirty Nil shouted from the roofs of punk houses echoing around my sphere of influence. Sadly, yet fortunately, it took Minimum R&B showing up in my review pile to give them a go. They’re a tightrope walk between all-out rock’n’roll of bands like The Hunches and Dead Boys, yet also hone a sweetness in their blown-out vocals like toyGuitar’s Jack Dalrymple if he had more grit in his throat. I hate to make the sort of obvious comparison to Pears, but it’s true. They’re able to take hardcore aggression and belt it out half-life by half-life until it’s compressed into an alt rock band with punk ideologies plus a dash of twang and glitter. And if that’s the direction Fat is going these days, I’m in. “Don’t wilt before you bloom / Cus you are fucking up young” are words of wisdom that every young punk needs to heed, and I hope The Dirty Nil have the foresight and determination to stay on the enlightened side of their advice. Bloom long and hard, please. –Kayla Greet (Fat)