| · You had me at whoa. The Dudes – they are still a comin’.
The Beepuncher EP opens with the longing howl of frontman Dan Vacon. "Whoa Caroline" he sings on "Mendoza Line," and before he even gets the second line of the song out of his mouth the album has already won me over. By the time he is pinning the vocal line of the chorus to the back wall under heartbreaking crystalline guitars, I have been transported to another place altogether.
One of the best bands in Calgary, The Dudes can write brilliantly poppy dirges that perfectly bridge the gap between hi-fi sonics and sludgy distortion. The production quality on their last home-recorded effort This Guys the Limit was a bit of a letdown, but with the help of producer Dave Alcock those limitations have been soundly remedied.
Alcock has a knack for helping bands flesh out their stage sound without changing the focus of their material. From the jaw-dropping backup vocals on crowd favourite "Drop Kick Queen of the Weekend" to the ’70s rock boogie of "The Celebration of Kindness," The Dudes knock this album soundly out of the park.
Vachon’s lyrical wit and uncanny knack for turning a phrase is at an all-time high and while bassist Pat Downing’s onstage acrobatics are usually a highlight of the live show, his bittersweet vocal take on "Forge Forward" is a perfect counterpoint to his fuzzed-out low end rumble.
With their hooky yet intricate guitar and fantastic singalong choruses, The Dudes have often been compared to indie stalwarts Modest Mouse and Archers of Loaf. With this release they further define their sound and set themselves in a league of their own. When the only complaint that you have about an album is that it is not long enough, there is really no problem.
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