DC Fallout – Retreat!

It’s tough following in the footsteps of today’s political punk greats and still offering something compelling.  Heck, even Pennywise existed in the shadow if its former glory during a creative slump a few albums back.  To even compete, a good band must be both knowledgeable and articulate.  Thankfully there are still a few bands emerging that are up to the challenge.  The subject of this review, Los Angeles’ DC Fallout, serves as a prime example.  In fact, their latest release, Retreat!, has quick become one of the best examples of political punk done right this year.

First off, DC Fallout builds their sound around a sense of pressing urgency.  Anyone familiar with long running acts Pennywise or Authority Zero knows how intense melodic street punk can get.  From opener “Flavor Of The Weak” through the concluding title track, Retreat! greets listeners with all the urgency of a presidential campaign’s final hours.  Frontman Scott belts line after line of politically challenging messages, harmonized by a backdrop of supportive voices.  Speaking of which, Scott’s voice was practically made for harmonies.  It’s a little higher than some might prefer (think the absolute middle ground between Pennywise and Anti-Flag), but once his support chimes in you’d be hard pressed not to sing along.

From a musical perspective, the worst that can be said is that DC Fallout needs to take some more chances.  The metallic solos in “Polarize” and “Proposition Hate” serve as nice flourishes, but the next step will see the band employing these moments to bolster their societal critiques much like up and coming genre-mates IVS.

But those with a social conscious will definitely want to lend their voice.  In a recent interview, the band made known that when songwriting they place a special emphasis on their lyrical message – and it shows.  These are substance-rich rallying cries targeting issues rather than sentiment.  Take the consumerist critique “So It Goes…” for instance.  The band breaks down the cycle of consumption by highlighting the unhealthy drive for “imaginary consumer needs.”  Unaffordable material goods like “a bigger home” and “a second 50 inch TV” push people to their breaking point, almost always ensuring a sense of disappointment.  But they don’t stop there.  As the track continues, DC Fallout pushes their critique to the next level, connecting shortsighted consumers to a global cycle of economic and environmental oppression, even drawing reference to Dr. Seuss’ influential children’s book, The Lorax.

I could go on (and on), but instead I think I’ll end with a line from “Not Convinced” as a departure point.  In it the band make a case for the broader public to take their punk rock medium seriously: “Without a background or a degree/are we enabled to fix society… it doesn’t mean that we lack the vision to see the abundance of injustice and inequality/and the flagrant inadequacy of this backwards philosophy… blank stares return these words as apathetic crickets refuse to chirp.”  This passage alone more than demonstrates their commitment and drive for social change.  They might not have the Ivy League status of some rich capital hill bureaucrat, but DC Fallout’s voice and vision on Retreat! stands stronger and truer than most politicians’ careers.