Dads, the duo hailing from New Jersey strikes again with their newest and second full length album, I’ll Be The Tornado. “A two piece punk duo?” you might ask, but let me tell you, between the guitar, drums, and lyrics, where the band lacks in members it makes up for in a strikingly simple yet idyllic “punk” sound.
I’ll Be The Tornado comes almost a year after their 2013 EP Pretty Good and almost two years after their first full length album in 2012, American Radass , and the improvements of both musicians is apparent. The album’s themes are more modern, and yet the tempo changes and chord progressions still have that Dads sound we’ve all come to expect, and it shows that there is still much to come from Dads.
The album features aggressive and jovially punk songs as Sunburnt Jet Wings, somehow simultaneously tragic yet uplifting tales as Take Back Today, and still more melodic songs, such as Fake Knees, and Grand Edge, MI . The punk aspects do shine through in certain lyrics, “We could be drunk together, we could be punk together” and even still more possibly romantically punk, such as singing the line “waiting there for me “ and proceeding to shout “with your coffee breath” for a few bars.
The addition of harmonious accompanying vocals from the drummer gives the bands sound a certainly more complete product, and while songs have become more emotional, Dads has trading their previous whiny emotions for emotions that sound genuine and experienced. Despite all I’ve written about the changing sound, the familiar Dads touch still comes through with progressive and melodic tunes that’ll have you reliving those days where you feel like you simply can’t be understood.
Overall, I’ll Be The Tornado is a solid product, and better yet, is all the proof that Dads needs to show that they’re a serious band with room to move up.
7/10
By: Spencer Graves
