Album Review: For If The Flies

Don’t you hate it when you find a band whose sound you really connect with, only to find out they’ve don’t exist anymore? Okay, so I saw them maybe twice before they did break up, but it is a real tragedy that I didn’t see Dash Ripshaw more when they were active. Fortunately, they have this long EP or short album (along with their single Diane and their debut Love Police EP that dropped in 2022) to remember the magic of them playing their quirky blend of catchy, fuzzy alt-pop.

There’s loads of nods to 90’s bands on For If The Flies, (their nine song LP) particularly Weezer and Pavement, but also a splash of Arctic Monkeys and Cage the Elephant. That’s not all – there’s Britpop moments, Latin beats such as bossa nova and samba, jazzy sections and, indeed, an unapologetic full jazz band outro to the recording. While the lead singer has a nasal voice that allows the listener to follow the idiosyncratic lyrics easily, it fits into the frequency range well with the other instruments. The band is melody driven punctuated by punchy bass lines and tidy guitar solos that run the gamut from bluesy to noisy. On the whole, it’s an appealing alternative rock played with passion and purpose, with cleverly, deliberately clashing lyrics to the pleasant-sounding melodies. The retro sci-fi cover perfectly reflects the band and contains the band’s signature ray-gun they have used as a logo.

First track Vogeltown is angular, jumpy indie punk-pop. Mint Chicks would approve. “There’s a house that’s waiting in Vogeltown, you better get there before tear it down” introduces us to the band’s vibe – not too serious at first glance but first appearances can be deceiving. There’s some really nice minor chords being used at the end of the chorus that changes the intention of the song. “I will find a place for us, I will, I will”, is sung with an earnest, pleading tone. Along with the gang vocals, a nice noisy solo section a little like Pavement, and a killer great drum fill at the conclusion, it’s a fantastic way to kick an album off.

Diggin’ has some tasty flanger and tremolo effect on the guitar. The song has a reggae rhythm including a tidy, sudden stop demonstrating how tight the band is. The chorus has a great spooky-surf vibe. I’m unsure what the lyrics are insinuating exactly, but the energy is infectious: “…then I’m back, digging a hole, same very hole as the last one.” The vocals use a ‘bah, bah, bah’ section that sounds quite Blur like.

1400 is a playful major sounding song, with a triumphant chord progression that seems hopeful, but very much at odds with the lyrics: “climb down the other way, this was a big mistake.” There are some beautiful tender moments to enjoy as the words remind us, “it’s always in the weekend…”

Minties is my personal favourite and the promo single for the album. The song begins with a bluesy lead guitar line and a great rock and roll chord progression. The song has loads of punky energy. “It’s easy to forget about bad things when they don’t hurt you”, the singer warns us before dropping us hints of pain caused by possible trauma, “fair enough you kept it in, the damage is done.” This is a perfect example of what Dash Ripshaw do best and a bloody brilliant song and choice for their single.

Things change a little from here onwards, with Skeleton Grin having a real samba timing. There’s some incredible feedback squall too, just to keep it all alternative-music-community approved. The singer uses some wacky syncopated rhythms to deliver the odd lyrics: “Because we don’t need no small talk, don’t need no stinky small talk, and it’s probably a message I could have written and you could have read, but time is so subjective and you don’t want to hear it.” Then the band really opens up to some huge distortion, then a catchy chorus, followed by a slightly chaotic section that breaks like waves to begin the verse again. Wonderful performance from the whole band on this one, showing they can play outside the rock genre then return to it with ease.

Let’s Go Spittin’ is a melancholy Latin influenced tune drenched in reverb utilising a retro surfy sound complete with tremolo. This song is an instrumental except for that incredible scream that kicks off the fast section. The track concludes with an awesome guitar solo.

Peaks starts off innocuous enough, before a heavy riff is introduced. On this one, the singer is a little bitter sounding: “nothing round here ever changes but it’s alright, we’ll deal with it.” The song sounds as if it is about dealing with boredom or disenchantment. There’s some nice moments of discordant notes hanging in the air before a Weezer-like riffs end the song.

Jimbo’s Space Song is another interesting song showing the band explore unusual territory. The tune uses a really cool, unusual melody, with a particularly tasty lead guitar part with appropriately oddball effects put on them. The song is nearly instrumental as the vocals are buried in the mix with a strange filter, but it sounds fun enough without knowing exactly what the words are.

The album closes with Toby’s Theme; a short, sweet, poppy tune with an outstanding riff. It’s a great way to end this collection of songs, even before the jazz outro (complete with trumpet). The lyrics are clear, odd and confessional: “I found a hint of someone else’s life, kicking and screaming good luck and goodbye, it’s too wrong to be right, this is how I found myself inside, well I guess, if you’re sure, because I don’t know who I am anymore.” The guitar solo is quite heavy metal influenced, played over the alternative toned band it sounds remarkably like an early Rivers Cuomo solo.

For If The Flies is a brilliant little album (or long EP) but a little sad as it hints at what the band could have done in the future had they remained active. Still, there’s loads to enjoy here: tidy pop-rock tunes that were wonderful to see live, experimentation with other instruments and genres of music, not to mention earworms for days.

Remember to support bands while they’re still around – you never know how long they might last!