Close to a year ago today, I saw Dananananakroyd playing in Oxford as part of their farewell tour. It ended up being my favourite live show of 2011, and made me all the more sad that the band were calling it a day after two LP’s and a whole lot of wall of hugs.
The timing is significant, as one year later, a handful of the former members are back as a new band, Alarm Bells. They’ve been playing a few live shows here and there over the last few months, but now we can get our grubby mitts on the first physical release from the band.
The first piece of music we get to hear is ‘Cocoons’, from a 4 track, 28 minute long, limited-edition 12″. And it’s gloriously batshit crazy. The first minute or so act as a rottweiler on the doorstep saying: “If you’re here expecting Dananananakroyd 2.0, keep on walking or I’m going to tear your face off.” This new guise and new formation has given Alarm Bells the chance to expand on the post-hardcore sound that we’re used to, but ‘Cocoons’ is darker, creepier and heavier than anything we’ve become used to. Also helping to create this atmosphere is the loopy video, looking a little like how a Sim’s game circa 1985 might look. Pre-order the LP on the band’s Bandcamp page, and check out the video for ‘Cocoons’ below.
Horses Playing Harps 