Double Dick Slick has their tongues firmly in cheek
One of the more tiresome tropes of films and television sees the hapless protagonist trying to make an impression on another character by pretending to be something they aren’t.
This fails catastrophically and then the best friend/guardian angel/murderous talking dog steps in to say, “Dude! You just have to be yourself!” It’s true, of course, which is why despite being so tiresome, we still watch. It’s relatable.
Out here in the real world most of us figure out sooner or later that you can never expect to really be happy until you’re comfortable in your own skin. This is not only true for bands and musicians; it may well be doubly or triply true.
The world is eaten up with world-weary singer/songwriters who haven’t experienced anything yet, angry punk bands struggling to find something to be good and mad about, and would-be “gangsta” hip hop artists who struggled on the well-lit, crime free streets of suburbia.
All this is the preface to why I find humor in a band so endearing. I’m not talking about artists whose whole modus operandi is humor, a la Tom Lehrer, Weird Al, or our own Alex Volz. Those guys are all great at what they do, and I love ‘em, but I’m talking about the bands whose main thrust isn't humor, who still manage to throw a laugh in from time to time.
I enjoy hearing a group who, while they may take their craft seriously, do not take themselves too seriously. You have to be comfortable in your own skin to pull that off. With their latest release, Hey! My Eyes Are Up Here, Double Dick Slick once again demonstrates that they’re secure enough in their talent and skill to have some fun with it.
The EP consists of five songs, but eleven tracks. The other six are “commercials”, “the news”, and other associated commentary, and taken as a whole, it makes for a very entertaining package. The tunes themselves are classic DDS; part early Van Halen, part Primus, part hardcore “you will never date my daughter” music. It’s great stuff that demonstrates a broader dynamic than you might expect.
Without the interstitials, it would be a solid collection worthy of admiration and whatever they’re charging for it. The additional humorous riffs, clearly the result of some guys saying, “Hey, let’s have some fun with this,” takes a great EP and turns it into something truly special.
So many of the bands that attempt to do what DDS does, and there are tons of them, invariably lack the chops or attitude to pull it off. They all sound the same, either because they lack creativity, or because their creativity is stifled by a commitment to image.
DDS suffers from no such deficiency; their creativity is evident in every track, the lot of which manage to successfully combine rock, funk, hardcore, and a terrifying vocalist into something wholly their own.
There can be no question that they take pride in what they do; you can’t be that good at it if you don’t. And yet their lack of ego and self-importance frees them up to “be themselves”, a liberating quality that makes way for some of the most entertaining and listenable hardcore tracks you’re likely to encounter.
The EP is Hey! My Eyes Are Up Here! and it’s slated for release later this month. I hope the release coincides with a supporting show or series of shows, because not only can I already see the ideal double or triple header of supporting guests, I can say without hyperbole that the only thing that better than hearing this new set of tunes would be seeing it live.