The Dahlmanns - "Leatherboys"

What a glorious day it is: we have new music from The Dahlmanns! This is, of course, one of my favorite bands. The "Leatherboys" 7" is the first new release from Line and Andre since May of last year and the first single from their forthcoming album Life in Reverse (due out next year). The narrative around this single and album will likely be that this is not the same old Dahlmanns. Having been pretty much the quintessential power pop group for most of the 2010s, The Dahlmanns are now broadening their musical influences. The new album will be a reflection of everything they've listened to from their teen years to the present day and will thus be quite different from what people might be expecting. But if "Leatherboys" is any indication, that's not going to be a bad thing at all. And given how many cover songs The Dahlmanns have done, we're already used to the band tackling more than just power pop by the book. 

"Leatherboys" finds Line and Andre leaning into their love of old school punk and proto punk and the old Detroit sound in particular. Nods to The Stooges and Alice Cooper are more than palpable, and there's also a touch of the Rolling Stones in the mix as well. The lyrics were inspired by the images of the erotic artist Tom of Finland. So yeah, this is something new from The Dahlmanns. But ultimately, it still sounds like The Dahlmanns. Even when they take things in a harder and darker direction, they still turn out massively infectious hooks and bring the kind of energy that will make you want to dance. That pop heart of theirs will always be there. The B-side, exclusive to this single, is a cover of Prince's classic "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man." Line was a huge Prince fan in her early teen years, and she and Andre do an amazing rendition here of one his best pure pop songs. This track is certainly more "vintage" Dahlmanns than the A-side, but I must say I love both tracks. 

I'm excited to hear what this next iteration of The Dahlmanns will sound like. It has been over 15 years since the band first debuted, so it's only logical to expect a musical progression at this point. Meanwhile, their talent and charm are as remarkable as ever. "Leatherboys" is out on Plato Utrecht Records. It's available from Platomania (NL), Sonic Rendevouz (NL), Soundflat (GER), Sugar and Spice (FR), and Munster Records (SP). No Dahlmanns fan will be disappointed!

-L.R.

https://thedahlmanns.bandcamp.com/track/leatherboys
https://open.spotify.com/album/4s9OgApQNoW8d9E1eB5fn1
https://music.apple.com/us/album/leatherboys-single/1845690248
https://www.facebook.com/thedahlmanns/