---Ada Wofford
I have an Uncle Dan. I haven’t seen him in, I don’t know, fifteen years or something but it’s fine because now I have a new Uncle Dan. Perhaps the biggest compliment I can give any band is that they sound like old Tony Hawk Pro Skater music and I am hereby bestowing that honor upon Uncle Dan.
Album opener “Wasted, Too” is gut-punch, skate punk with just the right amount of nostalgia in its lo-fi tinged production that crackles, pops, and cuts out in all the right ways. An unexpected trumpet blares a reverberated fanfare over fuzzy guitars and by the time the 2:44 track is over you’ve broken a sweat just listening.
The EP’s single, “My BFF Death” might actually capture this aesthetic even better. The track’s video opens with the band shotgunning beers and the high energy guitars and drums makes it hard not to grab one from the fridge and join them. This is basement show punk rock. I’ve played tons of these kind of shows and they’re always the best, especially when they have bands that bring the type of energy and enthusiasm that Uncle Dan seems to possess in unlimited supply.
When I talked to the band about their recording process, they felt that it could be a little more polished; but it’s the lack of polish that makes this record work so well. They recorded it in their friends’ basement (the band Mr. Lisp), banging out drums and bass in a single day. But the album doesn’t sound thrown together. Instead, it sounds like it’s exploding outward into a million parts. All of this noise was primarily made with a Fender Blues Deluxe amp, a Schecter Solo Special guitar, a Reverend Mercalli bass, and an 8-channel interface running into Logic Pro. The interspersed trumpet parts are a little jarring upon first listen, as they are so unexpected, but they’re not forced in anyway and they serve the tracks well. The band told me they plan on saving up and going into a professional studio for their next album but I hope they hold onto the gritty, live feel that makes this EP so special.
Uncle Dan’s self-titled EP is five tracks of high energy punk rock. It’s the perfect thing to put on to get you amped up before a night out. Put it on at a party and wait for a mosh pit to break out or blast it out of your car as you sing along. Uncle Dan is pure fun translated into sound.
The album will be streaming everywhere 11/22/19. Check out the video for “My BFF Death” below and get the album off Bandcamp here.
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