Die! Die! Die! - Sideways Here We Come (7", Too Pure)

Too be quite honest, there's not too much I know about New Zealand. Apart from the fact that they have a lot of sheep. Well, now I also know that they have some pretty good punk bands. Or at least one, as Die! Die! Die! are the only Kiwi punk band I've heard.

I personally hate it when bands liberally pepper their names with punctuation marks, but in Die! Die! Die!'s case it is justified. To leave out the exclamation marks from the bands name would do them a great injustice, as it effectively conveys their disorderly and thrilling sound.

"Sideways Here We Come" is a punk track at heart, but with a soul of pop (the oooh-oohs can hardly be called punk). The band take their influences from The Cure, The Misfits and a Warsaw-era Joy Division, albeit with a rawer, more edgy vibe. For instance when lead singer Andrew Wilson states "You're the type of person who needs to learn there's no difference between a knife in your hand and a gun in your back", it's somewhat unsettling.

The pounding drums, driving bass and waves of guitar have all been done before, but what elevates this track above anything masquerading as punk is the earnestness of their performance.