Dropkick Murphys

Turn That Dial Up

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Genre: Punk, Celtic punk.
Released: 30/04/2021
Via Born & Bred

Album Review: Dropkick Murphys – Turn Up That Dial

Celtic Punk legends the Dropkick Murphys are back with ‘Turn Up That Dial’. The band have made the best of a bad situation during lockdown by putting on multiple Livestream shows where they have been able to showcase a few of these tracks and the general reaction to them from fans has been overwhelmingly positive. I cannot wait to hear how they hold up on the record so without any further delay, here are my thought’s on the Dropkick Murphys ‘Turn Up That Dial’.

The album kicks of with the title track ‘Turn Up That Dial’ and the Dropkick charm is present right from the get-go. If there was music that would make you want to pull out a cold one and dance around your living room like no one is watching, this is that kind of music. An extremely catchy beat accompanied by Al Barr and Ken Casey’s contrasting vocals makes for a memorable listen that is followed by one of the best tracks from the record titled ‘L-EE-B-O-Y’. I have to say that Matt Kelly’s drumming is a personal highlight in this track for me. An extremely infectious beat-matched with great use of syncopation to drive the song home. A solid start to the album from the Dropkick Murphys!

A song that is quite blunt in its message follows and its name is ‘Middle Finger’. Jefferey DaRosa’s Mandolin playing helps to add character to the track and it gives it the Celtic sound that the band are known for. I highly recommend this song as it’s just a lot of fun to listen to. Unfortunately, I really couldn’t get into ‘Queen Of Suffolk County. It just seems to be lacking a lot of the raw energy I’ve come to expect from the band, and at times it comes across as a little dull and bland. A real shame as everything up until this point has been a blast.

‘Mick Jones Nicked My Pudding’ is a slight improvement however it isn’t without flaws. The song feels quite forced at times and I feel like I maybe should have had a few pints before listening to this as it just feels like the ramblings of a drunk man. Thankfully, ‘H.B.D.M.F’ was a lot of fun to listen to. A slower number that showcases the band’s ability to calm the music down and still deliver a joyous experience. The use of everyone’s vocals to create a sense of togetherness will never get old to me and that’s one thing the Dropkick Murphys have always been able to pull off better than most.

Following that is ‘Good As Gold’ and unfortunately, the song doesn’t live up to the title. The fast-paced track missed the mark for me and comes across as a bit forced and a little repetitive at times. On the other hand, ‘Smash Shit Up’ delivers exactly what you’d expect from the Celtic Punk band. A highly energetic track is full of charisma and personality that will have you bopping along to its bouncy rhythm. Similarly, ‘Chosen Few’ hit’s the nail on the head and is a real pleasure to hear. A song about togetherness and pride always works well when you have passionate people behind it and I don’t think you can get more passionate than these guys.

The penultimate track titled ‘City By The Sea’ has a huge amount of potential to become a fan favourite. The song flows nicely and captures the pure essence of the band in the form of a song. Once again the track is full of passion however the album goes from joy to quite a solemn feeling as the final track ‘I Wish You Were Here’ starts to play. A very emotionally driven song helps you to remember that with all the good things that happen, there will always be those moments you wish didn’t have to come. An extremely powerful end to the album.

the Dropkick Murphys have released a decent album and I think fans will be please with ‘Turn Up That Dial’. The song unfortunately has some low points that I can’t ignore however the high points are well worth a listen. If you’re a fan of their previous work then I would recommend giving this record a try for yourself.