Dero are a four-piece punk band from Bendigo, Victoria, Australia. The band has been playing on stages in Bendigo and Melbourne over the past couple of years. The band’s track “Burn” featured on the In Exile Records compilation Punx In Exile Vol. 1 released in September 2018. If you were lucky you could get a DIY CD called “Demo Tape” with three tracks on it.
I had a chance to interview the band for Crannk just last week, they answered questions about their upcoming show with Fat Wreck Chords band Get Dead and how they found recording the EP. (Link)
The band’s debut EP ‘Aim Low, Reach For The Middle‘ was recorded by Alex Bennett at Sound Recordings and mixed by Mikey Young. It was released on the 16th of September 2019.
The opening track ‘Smart Cunt‘ (3:59) starts with a guitar intro in a riffy style with plenty of distortion and leads into a verse with the guitar palm muting power chords. The vocals have elements of the hardcore style and lyrically the song is about know it all types that can’t accept being told they’re wrong. The chorus is made up of rhythmic strikes and stabs with in your face drumming and well written vocal hooks. This song is easy to sing along with and full of energy.
The second track is called ‘Burn‘ (3:16) if you’re a fan of this band your probably familiar with this one. The song starts with a riffy shred inspired guitar intro that has enough distortion to give a slight buzz. The verse parts are made up of a pattern of distorted power chords and some solid drumming. There’s a cool guitar hook in the chorus a breakdown style bridge part and a final verse part that leads to a noise punk outro. The vocals are similar to the first track and have that same hardcore vibe.
The next track ‘The Grind‘ (3:33) is lyrically a typical punk song about the daily grind, that said some of the lines in this song are gold. The song has a drum intro, verse parts full of distorted power chords and palm muting from the guitar. The lyrical hook in the chorus is great with vocals doing a part melody part shouty hardcore singing style. Towards the end is a lead guitar part that accents the music well and adds to the soundscape.
The fourth track ‘Brovnimal‘ (3:31) is a little different from the rest of the EP, the song has a groove rock vibe. Lyrically this song is about a dog and the vocals have a hardcore shouty vibe in the chorus but the verse is more grunge type stuff. Musically the band feels like its aiming for something different with this track. It still has energy though, especially the lead guitar part. I really like the song and if you listen to the EP from start to finish it really adds to the experience.
The final track ‘Lunatic‘ (2:50) takes us back to the more thrashy hardcore Dero sound. This one was also on the DIY CD ‘Demo Tape’ as a live version recorded at Music Man in Bendigo. The vocals and music both remind me of Suicidal Tendencies and Bad Brains in an atmospheric sense but without the overly complicated parts. Its the shortest track on the EP but it packs a huge punch and leaves you wanting more.
Dero is Dave Gamble – vocals Warwick Cooney – guitat/vocals Reece Cooney – bass/vocals Kurtis McMahon – drums
Catch Dero on stage at True Brew in Bendigo on Sunday the 13th of October playing as local support for the Get Dead Tour with Melbourne shredders Wolfpack. (Event Link)
DERO Bandcamp Link http://deromusic.bandcamp.com/album/aim-low-reach-for-the-middle
Punx In Exile Bandcamp Link http://inexilerecords.bandcamp.com/album/punx-in-exile-volume-1
Facebook Link https://www.facebook.com/DeroBand/
DERO youtube channel Link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw62SX8NMm_-CCGH7Q3HvGg
Check out Dero on Spotify but if you really want to support the band and scene go over to bandcamp and grab some music/merch and head out and catch a live show 🤘
