Overall this album is an excellent listen with its raw, under-produced style giving it that live feeling that made grunge so powerful in the early nineties.
Album Cover
Their second album Nature Nurture sits comfortably between the genres of Garage Rock and Power Pop and has a different vibe compared to their first album Growing Pains. I would associate the band to the Foo Fighters because they have a similar grunge sound to their melodies. The band has listed Nirvana, Weezer and The Beach Boys as some of their musical influences.
The Leeds trio are definitely getting closer to finding their original sound with this album and there is a lot of promise for the band in the future, that’s if they stay together. During the process of the album Growing Pains two members of the band left, leaving the main man of the band Matt Bigland to complete the album single-handedly.
What the album might lack in individuality it is definitely made up for with some brilliant guitar riffs and infectious chorus hooks that you can’t help but sing along to. Dinosaur Pile-Up clearly understands the concept of experimentation and have stepped it up for their second album.
The opening track Arizona Waiting is a ripened rock anthem with an immediate punch. The drop D tuning adds a darker veil over an otherwise summery anthem and the lyrics are surrounded by a melancholic atmosphere of electric guitars and drums.
The next track on the album titled Derail pulls back on the grand rock and roll vibe and whilst the song still retains the dark undertones that the opening track does it definitely focuses on the lyrics, driving the melody rather than the other way round. The sudden shift of sound is anything but awkward and shows that they band is able to demonstrate a change in pace and a change in sound.
Track three Peninsula picks up the pace again with its infectious guitar loops and cheerful lyrics. Heather is fuelled by guitars and plunges into another catchy chorus, reminding me of an earlier Nirvana track. The musical influences are regularly present within Dinosaur Pile-Up’s sound. Summer Gurl is probably one of my favourites on the album and I think it has the catchiest melody and most memorable lyrics throughout the entire album.
Further in to the record, the variety of the band is clear with the mesmerising track White T-Shirt and Jeans. Built on simplicity, the wavering force of the guitars sits perfectly behind a steady vocal. The Way We Came is another one of my personal favourites on the album; the introduction of palm-mute guitar was a surprising change from the powerful electric guitar introductions in the other tracks and added an acoustic vibe to the album.
Draw a Line is a little bit too similar to the Foo Fighters and doesn’t really stand out as a track on its own for me. Start Again is yet another guitar fuelled track with an infectious melody in drop D tuning. Lip Hook Kiss is another catchy song that is another one to add to my list of favourites; I really like the harmonies and the meaning behind the lyrics. Nature Nurture is the titled track and burns with a precise, spacious and single-minded two-key chorus. The song has a simple melody but doesn’t really strike me as leading single material.
KyeoTv have also reviewed the album and commented by saying 'Overall this album is an excellent listen with its raw, under-produced style giving it that live feeling that made grunge so powerful in the early nineties.'
So, where does the Dinosaur Pile-Up go from here? Well, settling on a signature sound would be a start; I feel that they are still in the experimental stage as a band. The album is a little bit repetitive sound wise so I think that they need to take risks on their next album because you can hear more potential rising in this second album. Ultimately, Nature Nurture might not be a perfect album but it is a great example of a typical British rock record.
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