Dead Letter Office were onto a winner when they decided to infuse the fairly unremarkable indie of ‘Chairkickers’ with a bubbly electro back beat. It sees ‘Chairkickers’ gain the infectious energy that songs of this genre need in order to stand out from the indie crowd. ‘Chairkickers’ other inspired moment comes in the form of a drum roll leading up to an explosive cry of ‘chairkickers!’ that sounds strangely like a cockerel crowing. It’s odd enough to be edgy, whilst still managing to be pop-music addictive. You’ll find yourself fighting the urge to scream “chairkickers!” randomly for days afterwards, guaranteed.
On the down side, the lyrics in the chorus should gain ‘Chairkickers’ instant indie-anthem status, but the music and frontman Benjamin Hiorn’s voice aren’t impassioned enough to make the most of those lyrics. Whirling electro and Horn enthusing “we will never be part of the crowd,” makes this a good indie chorus, but by no means an outstanding one. You can’t help feeling that with just a little extra oomph, this good chorus could have become a great chorus.
The other major problem with ‘Chairkickers’ is that it lurches from lively electro-indie into an underwhelming bridge section that plods along and doesn’t feel like it has anything to do with the rest of the song. It’s like a big, energy-sapping black hole right in the middle of an otherwise decent song.
B-side ‘Comeback Kid’ has a subtly darker tone than ‘Chairkickers’ and places more focus on lyrical content, which showcases a different side to Dead Letter Office, and promises a band with intriguing versatility. It also employs stop-start-stop guitars, but to mixed results. They give the verses an edgy appeal and ensures that when that free-flowing chorus kicks in, it feels like the musical equivalent of a headrush. However, without any vocal accompaniment, the stop-start bridge section feels stunted, and keeps the listener on the outside rather than drawing them in.
But, ‘Chairkickers/Comeback Kid’ is on the whole a solid double-header of a disc that may not set the world alight, but it’s likeable enough to make you interested in what Dead Letter Office might come up with next.
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Comeback Kid- Wake The Dead
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Dead Letter Office - Chairkickers/Comeback Kid (Single)
Re: Dead Letter Office - Chairkickers/Comeback Kid (Single)
