The Death Set are a punk rock band that formed in Sydney in 2005. After the success of their debut EP, they moved to The States and have pushed out a steady stream of releases, tours and sold-out shows ever since. However, I hadn’t heard of them until today. Maybe because in 2005 I was underage, listening to a mix of T-Rex, The Beach Boys and JoJo, and had by head buried in my free-with-purchase Dolly diary. They had their first shows at 77’s Bang Gang nights (remember them?), and I was both too young and too uninterested to attend.
Last year, the band signed to Steve Aoki’s label Dim Mak Records, and released their four track EP King Babies. Its an unusual blend of electronic distortion with over the top, loud, almost punk-style delivery. The most throwback track on the record is Soar Away, which sounds like its missing from the American Pie soundtrack (a compliment).
If I could put my finger on Western youths’ obsession with pizza, believe me I would, but I don’t fully understand it. From cartoon-y tattoos, to Ellen DeGeneres’ Oscars gag, to the thousands of shitty t-shirts branded with cheesey slices, the pepperoni pizza is now far beyond a food item. It has become a cultural icon. Its partly to do with the recent 90s, Americana pop-culture revival, partly to do with the rebellion against the image of the “posh” upperclass, and something to do with the popularisation of the suburban, trailer trash-y, white kid becoming the cool new thang (a la Die Antwoord, Lana Del Rey, Iggy Azalea etc).
Anyway, I’m getting distracted. My point is that Soar Away, both musically (American Pie) and visually via the clip (pizza), has America stamped all over it. And I like it! I think its a sweet track and a great vid. These guys, although Australian, have obviously been accepted by the USA with a warm, loving embrace. Good on ’em. They deserve it.
FIND OUT MORE ON
