Damn Vandals - Done For Desire

If Nick Cave fronted a heavier Gang Of Four, Damn Vandals would most likely be that band; and it sounds as good in practice as it does in principle. It’s fair to say that ‘Done For Desire’ is one of the better full-lengths to be released so far this year. It’s an album consisting of the type of songs that just aren’t made any more - no nonsense, brilliant guitar-based ones.

The opening duo of ‘Revolution / Rehearsal’ and ‘As Seen On TV’ are quite simply big tunes. Big tunes made by a band making a big statement. A statement that they’re going to make a proper rock album, even if no one else is, and even if no one wants it. Already, Jack Kansas’ vocals have emerged as the main proponent of this statement. His snappy, rather uncannily Cave-esque delivery and engagingly abstract lyrics sound particularly vital amidst the lightweight delivery of the average modern guitar band.

‘This Amazing’ is the album’s other standout moment, its opening lyrics - ‘This amazing love, is just a mile away / Down a road you’ve seen, but never taken / It has arms and claws, and jaguar jaws, and a sky of diamond blue / It has eyes, eyes just for you.’ - perfectly portray the obscure imagery that Kansas summons. His vocals seem to position themself atop music, bursting out of the speakers to confront you face-to-face. Yet at no point is the music overpowered, the jagged guitar lines act as the vocals’ ideal partner in crime.

‘Done For Desire’ is played at full throttle; it isn’t an album that you’ll be sitting still to. The record is fuelled by constant sense of urgency, losing nothing in the absence of any slower moments. They’ve found a basic formula that works and stuck with it just the right amount, with no two songs sounding too similar, nor too different. There’s an admirable range of subtle influences present throughout, ‘Trouble With Jesus’ introduces something of a Kyuss vibe, its timeless riff fashioning an infectious, bluesy groove.

Damn Vandals are one of the most exciting bands to surface from the UK this year, and ‘Done For Desire’ one of the most exciting debuts. Its impressively large sound, fronted by one of the best and most engaging vocalists to emerge in a long while, elevates the band above many of their contemporaries. Hopefully many more will follow suit in the ‘crusade’ to raise rock music back to prominence.