Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Daniel James Gang - Darkness Over This Town


Daniel James, who has been responsible for some of my favorite records of the past decade, is back with an absolutely smoking new Daniel James Gang EP/maxi single titled Darkness Over This Town. Alongside Logan Stang, Johnny Cyanide, Geoff Palmer, and Miski Dee, Daniel tears through four tracks of grimy old school Midwestern punk 'n' roll with mega-tasty pop hooks. Is there anyone out there who does this sort of gutsy punk rock with a bleeding power pop heart better than Daniel James? Daniel's songs aren't just catchy and super-tough —they're also passionate, soulful, and totally fierce. As great as all those Indonesian Junk records were, this new stuff might be at a whole other level. The EP would be worth the price of admission just for "Misery" — one of the best tracks of 2024. "Darkness Over This Town" and "Lies" are every bit as good. 

I can't look at a song title like "Darkness Over This Town" and not think about how fitting it is for present-day America. I suppose you could say the exact same thing about "Misery," right? Even if these songs are more personal than political, they certainly capture the zeitgeist of 2025. To me, the vibe of this record is what solo Stiv Bators might have sounded like if he had gone in a more straight-forward punk rock direction but still retained his love for The Raspberries. I dig how "Lies" sounds huge and melodic but also totally raw in the very best way. And of course Daniel's lead guitar work is pure fire. Wait? Did Daniel cover a New Model Army song? Fuckin' right, he did! Now there's a band that never gets enough love! Darkness Over This Town is available now on compact disc from Bandcamp, or you can stream it from all the usual platforms. This is my favorite release of 2025 so far. If you love it too, you have impeccable taste.

at

No comments:

Post a Comment