aaamusic | On 02, Jul 2013

Nature Nurture by Dinosaur Pile- Up is a heavy onslaught of high energy and vigorous grunge rock that rivals some of the most notorious bands of the genre including Foo Fighters and Weezer. The album is over flowing with catchy choruses, guitar hooks fuelled by their immediacy and energetic nature and thudding, relentless bass lines. The energy Dinosaur Pile- Up delivers on Nature Nurture, is persistent throughout and is second to none.

The energetic atmosphere is set to great effect with opener ‘Arizona Waiting’, which introduces a sense of immediacy from the outset opening with two percussive guitar chords, supported by punctuating percussion and bass followed by the raucous vocals of lead singer Matt Bigland. The verses move with great momentum echoed in the relentless guitar and bass lines leading to the anthemic chorus. ‘Derail’, has a slightly slower tempo but maintains a steady pulse preventing the momentum from dipping and again has a very catchy chorus. A softer delivery in the vocals is evident here with some palm mute guitar which contrasts nicely to the opening track. Several typical characteristics of grunge are already evident such as shifting between loud and quiet dynamics from the verses to the choruses and very brief silences before the typical erupting chorus, which are used to great effect but perhaps lack a sense of originality.

‘Peninsula’ is another upbeat grunge track heavily driven by guitars. The chorus is incredibly catchy and the song contains a ripped up guitar solo right before a sudden vocal break down of the chorus which gives way to some first-rate vocal harmonies. This demonstrates that Dinosaur Pile-Up are not afraid to keep listeners on their toes with a sudden change of atmosphere, right before building the energy back up in full swing. ‘Heather’, one of the highlights on the album follows introduced with a thunderous bass line on top of which drums, guitar and vocals are built. It is one of the heavier punk influenced tracks on the album. It is powerful and upbeat with dark undertones and a twisted instrumental breakdown. ‘Summer Gurl’, is direct  in its delivery of a Californian, surf style summer sounding guitar  riff and vocal melody delivering the feel good summer message ‘now the summer’s here, I can leave it behind’.

‘White T- shirt and Jeans’ is an enchanting track with pulsating and powerful entries on guitar in the verses as Bigland sings almost acapella over a simple drum rhythm. The chorus is highly anthemic in its delivery and brings to mind elements of the Pixies with the beauty of the song resting firmly in the simplicity of the chorus chanting ‘always forever, white t-shirt and jeans’. ‘The Way We Came’, adds an acoustic guitar to the mix and is one of the more laid back songs on the album offering some beautifully poignant lyrics ‘don’t lose your way, let’s go back the way we came’. The song demonstrates a softer side to the band but maintains a grungy edge with references to a ‘kingdom of trash’.

‘Draw the Line’, constantly builds to the close with heavily distorted guitar and bass lines, as well as a pounding drum beat leading to a rip- roaring guitar solo and a twisted and crunching ending. ‘Start Again’ and the penultimate song on the album ‘Lip Hook Kiss’ maintain the high level of energy that has come to be expected of the album and once again deliver with very catchy choruses and hard hitting instrumental break downs. Title track ‘Nature Nurture’ closes the album which is almost two tonal offering distinct differentiations between the uplifting verse with resonating guitar chords and a vocal line which gives way to some exceptional vocal harmonies and a chorus with pounding guitar and bass over which one hears the persistent chants ‘nature nurture’. While maintaining the energy felt throughout, the song has some excellent stripped back moments and displays a dynamic use of texture which allows the album to build beautifully to a close.

Nature Nurture is not the most original or innovative album to grace today’s music scene, but contains some very inventive moments and the album maintains a high level of charisma and energy throughout. It is hard hitting, vigorous and overflowing with attitude and power. Bigland makes excellent use of tried and tested grunge techniques as well as providing raucous vocals with prevailing guitar hooks and catchy, anthemic choruses which are numerous throughout; making it an outstanding addition to the grunge genre and a welcome addition to any record collection.

★★★★★

Shane O Neill