Diamonds And Guns – Making Cash For The Heartless Crooks EP

I don’t think the band name Diamonds And Guns was a big leap, yes they definitely have a American West Coast influence, the sound also is very eclectic, tones of classic Punk Rock meld into Pop Punk and bleed with Celtic undertones, then you even get a razor sharp edge of the Beach Boys Pet Sounds in there.

Releasing 2 or 3 EP’s over the period since there inception in 2019 (bad timing for a pandemic hit), all of the bands work has been 100% DIY, recordings and video’s.

So this latest EP is quite frankly a triumph with all the goings on over the past few years, and to get a distribution deal with Sound Pollution is a game changer.

The Ep consist of 4 songs and a short intro, the intro is simply a jump from what the band have released before, it feels much more melancholic, but is this a lead up to what is to come?, not really, but then yes.  The first track, the single release ‘So Long Chicago’ has an uplifting kind of feel a much less heavier sound with a wonderful dance feel than previous recordings by this band, a song of hope and regret it feels. 

The uplifting feel seems to run through the release in a way that might not be so evident in previous releases, not sure if this was totally intentional or simply what takes them at the time, but it got that anthemic Ferocious Dog/Gogol Bordello kind of feel, but with an added West Coast dynamic, ‘Nevertheless’ is a nailed down nod to this.

Then comes the Beach Boys nod, a California on Rum is the feeling I got here, a classic sing a long drinking song with a vocal that sounds like it comes from drinking plenty of the said alcohol, another song that your not sure if this is what they intended, but it works for me.

Within no time, your at the final track and the hardest track of this more melodic EP, ‘Oh Thnx For Friday’ a Queens Of The Stone Age style hard guitar rhythm sends this into the realms of Gogol Bordello meets System Of A Down, just sublime in so many ways! 

Pure DIY amazingness, I really hope this band get to carry on making music in this same way, its a masterclass in how great punk rock should be made, never scared to push the boundaries!    Now we need the album!

Out on 1st September with a huge helping hand from Sound Pollution Distribution

head on over to the bands FACEBOOK for all the low down.