Dimes – Tip The Scales

Brummie musicians Dimes have officially released their debut EP ‘Tip The Scales’ following a strong run of gigs in their home city of Birmingham.

My first impressions of Dimes seems to be that they may be such a group that you struggle to define by a single genre. Their sound firmly has its feet in the Alt Rock camp, yet influences from across the spectrum such as Jack White, Joy Division and even Crows and DITZ seem to prick my ears from time to time.

First up on the EP we have ‘Blue Ties’, a pummeling ‘post punk’-by numbers track that shows off the strong, pounding rhythm section of the group as well as the sharp lyricsims and riffs that the band can bring. The lead track starts off strong and sets the tone for the rest of the 3 track EP.

Keeping the pace up, we have ‘Class Divide’ which truly shows off just how good the drumming is on this EP (SPOILER – It’s very good). You can even hear a tint of Grian Chatten in the vocal delivery, and even a hint of the Black Country’s own Garran Hickman (Headshrinkers) in the wordsmith’s choice of words. Really great stuff.

‘Crony Capital’ rounds off the EP strongly, with yet another dynamic showcase of melody, speed and sharp guitar playing. The closest correlation that I can draw from this track is Slaves’ ‘BUGS’, but that’s certainly not a bad thing. Dimes clearly have strong modern punk influence, and that is absolutely great to see in a time where there is so much sensational music about.

Overall Dimes’ debut EP highlights a strong future for the band to come, the tracks may be a little rough around the edges in places but it will certainly be exciting to see how this band will continue to grow and develop their sound. I’ll be watching their next moves and releases with great interest.

Alex Malpass