DC Fallout – Serfs Up

When DC Fallout debuted with last year’s Retreat!, I praised the Los Angeles melodic punk act’s commitment to social awareness.  Their combination of urgency and intensity made for obvious comparisons with Authority Zero and Pennywise, and anyone familiar with the realm of political punk could sense they were on the right track.

Fast forward a year and the hard working band is at it again with a new six song EP, Serfs Up.  Based on the disc’s EP status, you’d be mistaken if you thought the band was taking a breather between full lengths.  Right from the opening beats one thing becomes abundantly clear: Serfs Up marks a noteworthy step forward for a band already standing on firm ground – clearly there is no small endeavor for DC Fallout.

First off, the group has addressed any minor issue I previously alluded to.  Compositionally each song finds the band tightening up loose edges without the risk of over-production.  Guitars are punchier, solos clearer, and overall song writing ranks up there with genre veterans.  Where vocalist Scott Hallquist once relied on his supporting band to fill out his voice, he now stands tall, speaking alone with more confidence than even Retreat!’s strongest collective moments.  For that matter, he isn’t afraid to slow down and employ pseudo-spoken word segments to highlight lyrical insight over melody.  Previously I suggested that the band tighten up their metallic edge circa IVS.  This time around their subtle genre crossovers feel focused and direct, quick approaching the maturity of veteran acts like Propagandhi.

But perhaps most important, DC Fallout hasn’t lost their talent for shoving everyday injustices under listeners’ noses.  From the societal constants of violence and religion (“The Great Contraction”), to the isolating irony of social networking and technological interaction (“Disconnect”), Serf’s Up demands listeners confront and react to the topics at hand.

“We operate on a convenient assumption that they’re just drug addled addicts.  But the reality of circumstance, hard times, and mental illness, evade our collective consciousness…” Hallquist exposes in “Poverty Bind,” to which he begs compassion from more fortunate citizens (“if only our hearts could match our G.D.P., we’d open more shelters, and protect the weak”).  Meanwhile, “Alien Nation” confronts American immigration hostility, critiquing the hypocrisy of an immigrant nation’s closed doors by challenging listeners that they would “do the same” for their own families.  “Ever walk a mile in another man’s shoes? Or is your empathy bound by concrete?” Hallquist prods, suggesting that society “can’t take one step forward, or even lift [their] feet” out of a system of “ethnocentric bigotry.”  DC Fallout is direct and doesn’t withhold accusations.  Their message begs accountability, striving to keep morality alive in the hearts of all those within earshot.  As the title track makes clear, the western world is in the midst of a cutthroat class war, and one that must be acknowledged to overcome.

When it comes right down to it, DC Fallout has made an altogether better product.  Heck, even the triple fold out digipak comes crammed with a metaphoric panorama featuring a bustling medieval battle scene illustrated by the talented hand of Keith Rosson (For.The.Win., Anchor Down).  Needless to say, Serfs Up leaves nothing to chance, and should let down a deserving drawbridge of opportunity in the band’s future.  One of the year’s most inspirational pieces of political punk.