*Disclaimer - This album was given to us by Dude Trips before
release and that in no way alters our opinion on the record*
The genre of emo music is a hard one to get right. It is something that Scottish quartet Dude Trips have been trying to do for a couple of years now. Past EPs have shown potential but with their debut record ‘Through Love And Death, You’re All I Have Left’ being released tomorrow, is this finally time for the band to shine in the niche genre?
‘Blank Canvas’ opens the record with a slow guitar before it launches right into a huge emo track. It is a dark and sad song, brought together with the beautiful music behind it. The strong guitars are prominent throughout, providing just what the song needs. The lyrics explore finding out your girlfriend has cheated on you, pulling at every emotion and looking back to the past to see where it could have all went wrong.
The album moves swiftly on to ‘In Between Days’ which is a much faster track. The strong lyrics of Shaun Ross and Jamie Mathers really bring this track into its own and differentiate the band from most of the scene. Despite the upbeat nature of this track, the lyrics again are incredibly deep. Dealing with breakup and heartbreak, it explores both sides of the story. It looks at how breakups can be positive in the long run despite feeling broken and lost at the start.
The lead single, ‘Documentaries’, again has that Dude Trips vibe to it, with the amazing guitar work of Scott Burnett shining throughout. This song is from the perspective of after a breakup, fighting with your inner self about still having hope that you’ll get back together. The line “I miss your family and all the shit that we did” is one that stands out.
It shows that it isn't even the major parts of a relationship you miss but the small things also pull at the heartstrings. Probably one of the strongest on the record, ‘Documentaries’ is bound to go down as a fan favourite.
The record continues to follow the story of a breakup, with tracks like ‘Sunday Club’ and ‘Tampa Bay’ (which featured on the 2017 Ep ‘Sad Lads’). ‘Sunday Club’ has a beautiful bridge section, where it slows right down and there are heartwarming lyrics about how “Everything is gonna be alright” before the track closes on the catchy chorus, complete with a solo.
There is then a short interlude between ‘Tampa Bay’ and ‘Subbuteo’, which just goes to show the work that has gone in to not only creating a collection of songs but an album that is made to be listened to from the first note to last. ‘Subbuteo’ is another one of those fast-paced tracks, this time looking at past days with an old friend who went down the wrong path in life. The hook ‘I miss those days’ is one surely one to be screamed by fans at shows.
‘Kit’ is perhaps one of the toughest listens on the record. By no means is it a bad track, but explores suicide and the feelings surrounding it. It is just Shaun with the guitar and it works beautifully. It comes from the perspective of the frontman and how he dealt with the death of a local teenager, despite never knowing him. It is a personal track, drawing reference to when the band paid tribute to the teenager who died at one of their gigs.
It goes on to talk about how they both had the same taste in music and if given the chance, could have talked over things so that it didn’t have to come to such a tragic end. This track is a beautiful, emotion and thoughtful listen and fits on this album beautifully.
‘91’ is the second to last song on the record. It launches itself into a fun sounding track, something you could jump around to at a gig. It is a true modern emo song if there ever was one, with the happy instrumentation accompanying the sad lyrics. The last minute or so of the track is probably the best part, with the simple guitar riff of the bridge launching itself into the final chorus.
The track ends with sort-of title track ‘Through Love and Death’. The song starts slow, with just vocals and guitar. The lyrics explore the death of someone's father, and how if they were in that position the couldn’t have dealt with it. Heartwarming lyrics explaining there is always a silhouette of him at the gigs make this track a real tear-jerker.
The track goes from quiet to frighteningly loud, with the whole band kicking in around the two-minute mark. Lyrics like 'I'm not gone man, but I believe in Heaven' show raw passion from the band for their music and songwriting.
This album isn't a cry for help. It's not a pathetic teenage sob story. This album is Dude Trips taking the listener through a genuine journey of emotions. It's a 21st century record of the real issues we face: and it is fucking brilliant.
8.5/10
Dude Trips are Shaun Ross (rhythm guitar & vocals), Jamie Mathers (bass & vocals), Scott Burnett (lead guitar) and Sean Mitchell (drums).
'Through Love And Death, You're All I Have Left' is released everywhere tomorrow (Friday 31st May)
Find the band at:
Website: dudetrips.co.uk
Facebook: Dude Trips
Twitter: @dudetripsuk
Instagram: @dudetripsuk