Dive In The Box – Relegation Battle

This is the debut album from Philadelphia’s Dive In The Box, they recorded the ten songs that make up Relagation Battle in Nashville in what I can only assume was a frantic thirteen hours. Dive In The Box are an Oi band, but with a slight difference, as this is a football (soccer for American’s reading this) themed album which fervently waves the flag for MLS team Philadelphia Union. The only other band I can recall combining football and punk on a regular basis is English Oi band and West Ham United fanatics The Business, who I assume are a big influence on Dive In The Box.

The general themes on the album are unsurprisingly football and alcohol which to be fair sounds like a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon, but would you want to spend every day doing this? As I’m nursing a mild hangover following an injury time victory yesterday I can see the appeal, but for all it’s bluster I feel that Dive In The Box have scored something of an own goal and I can’t help feeling that an occasional change in their tactics would add depth to Dive In The Box‘s Relegation Battle.

This is a straight up in your face Oi album, it is aggressive and relentless but ultimately one which I found repetetive. Fans of this genre will treasure Relegation Battle and whilst there are flashes of melody, some great guitar hooks and solid brutal bass lines this is a somewhat one dimensional release. With the exception of the final track Don’t Tell Me How To Union, which offers a slight change of tempo, it is a full on pummelling assault from start to end. For me Dive In The Box would benefit from remembering that relentless attacking has it’s appeal but you need to vary your strategy from time to time to get the victory.

Dive In The Box‘s Bandcamp can be found here.