Seven Days And Doesn’t Die – Self Titled

On initial listening Seven Days And Doesn’t Die have delivered an EP of snotty, sleazy rock n roll, with the odd surprise. Which is just up my street – the sleazy rock n roll, not the odd surprise! Before I go into the songs, I have to mention that for me the production is a bit muddy, with the music sounding very bass heavy, and occasional vocal distortion, which is a shame, because Vocalist/guitarist, Kit has a great dirty snarl quality to her voice. Maybe the production is meant to sound like that, but for me it makes the EP harder to listen to than it should be, because make no mistake, there are some cracking songs on this release. Personally, I would have liked to have heard more separation between the instruments, but you may feel differently.

Snatching Defeat is all snarling vocals and vitriol aimed at anyone unlucky enough to be in the vicinity, and is a thunderous statement of intent of what lies at the core of this band. Having said that, Car Crash is a bit more mid-tempo and is built on a Grungey riff, before it veers off into a confusing ending, which kinda fits the song perfectly, if I’m taking the song literally, and it is about a car crash?

No Restitution is next, and restores the gutter, dirty, punk rock n roll. It has one of those chiming riffs, which is used to great effect throughout the verses. There’s a great break in the middle, which allows Kit to show she has a little more to offer than pure gravel in her pipes. Gloriously sleazy. This is the highlight track for me. I am really confused by Black Salt, which for the first 90 seconds is the sound of a late night jazz lounge, before a passing bunch of Ne’er Do Wells kick the door in and proceed to threaten to burn the place down. However, it’s all bluff and bluster in the latter part of the song, and it fails to deliver the threatened arson attack. I don’t understand this mix of styles, and for me it is a turn off. 

Live Fast, Die Last is another rocking song, and has a great re-interpretation of the Live Fast, Die Young cliche. It is gone in a blur of pounding drums, and fast Distillers type punk. Oh blast, I was trying to resist the Brody Dalle comparison, and to justify my comparison, I’m going to say that I prefer Kit’s voice, as dare I say it, she sings in tune. Deadbeat Rodeo continues in a similar vein, well for the first 3 minutes 12 seconds, before another muddy distorted jam arrives to spoil the party. The EP concludes with Tarzanello, and by now I’m getting annoyed at the production, and am relieved when the song finishes.

In the end, this EP has some good songs, let down by the poor sound quality, however, I will definitely give this band another listen on subsequent releases.

You can stream and purchase Seven Days & Doesn’t Die via Bandcamp