The Last Dinosaur
Wilmington, Delaware, United States | SELF
Music
Press
Really digging this. Catchy shit.
RIYL: Envy on the Coast, Foals, Minus the Bear, Bloc Party - Absolute Punk
Hailing from the metropolis of Newark, Delaware, The Last Dinosaur is a band ready to take on conventional alt/pop with some new sensibilities and true angsty rock songs.
Their latest EP, Tales, is a melodic blend of guitar and vocal driven post-rock. The team puts together a nice blend of off-kilter beats with pleasantly repetitive guitar hooks and vocals that range from melodic to passionately raised yelling. To be clear, this is NOT screamo. They do yell, but without resulting in screeching or growling.
Tales kicks off with with the upbeat and (dare I say) dancy "Fractions". This immediately sets a mood for the rest of the EP and gets you in the mood to move with the music. The title-track is more introspective and is perfectly placed in the middle of the album, and is quickly followed by "Sway" which is bit more experimental than other tracks with a heavy keyboard riff flowing throughout the song. "Sway" is a bit of a departure, but you will be sucked right back in by the high energy closer "Loughton".
Each song is well written, well balanced, and well produced. I can see The Last Dinosaur becoming much bigger than their hometown in the near future, if some wicked smart record company will scoop them up quickly enough. - Thoughts and Aquisitions
The Last Dinosaur, not to be confused with The Last Dinosaurs or The Land Before Time are an indie/pop/rock group hailing from America’s East Coast. I listened to the recently released Tales EP with a smug amount of nonchalance; however I was pleasantly surprised by the melodic feast found within.
The clean and decisive riffs are accompanied by lyrics, yelled but never screamed, powerful but never annoying, achieving a potent mix of angst and damn infectious pop. Like the splatter of grey paint on the EP’s cover, the songs get in your face and stick.
The first track, “ Fractions”, with its gritty vocals and layered instrumentals builds momentum for the EP and sets the bar for the preceding track, “Loughton”. Both songs immediately engage the listener and hold them captive in a prison of punk/rock distractions.
“Sway”, as the name suggests is a pared back take on rock/pop and helps step back from the intensity that the EP began with. The title track “Tales” has a slower pace; the echoey vocals and instrumental focus something truer to their identification with the ‘indie slash’ genre. These tracks help the EP end with a chilled-out thud instead of a strung out bang.
Whether you want to be a moody adolescent, dance with friends or simply undulate in your room to an indie tide, then The Last Dinosaurs are probably worth checking. (Self released) - The Marshalltown Chronicle
Discography
The Last Dinosaur- Demo
Tales - EP
Photos
Bio
Dan and Jimmy began playing music together at the age of 14. Shortly after, they started their first project. They eventually added a young guitarist named Tim Johnson to the mix and over the course of five years honed their craft while watching dozens of bands come and go in their local scene. In 2009 the band decided that it was time to mix things up once again as Tim shifted to drums and Josh Hensley joined as lead vocalist and guitarist, these changes felt like they were destined for that point in time, because it seemed each of the young musicians had finally finished cutting their teeth and new writing sessions revealed something much more inspired then anything they'd created to date. The new music mixed the catchy rhythms of dance rock and the modern vibe of electronic instrumentation with the raw intensity of punk that the band has always admired. The eclectic four piece were making new noise and when taken to the streets they made a new for themselves with their raucous and powerful live performance. If the band had one central mantra it would be dedication. In a small town like Wilmington, DE it's easy to lose hope as an independent musician. Between the formation of the original duo and the current lineup the group had watched many a talented band throw in the towel. "It can really grind you down. That feeling that no matter how hard you work you'll never make it out of Delaware. However, we managed to stay positive," says Josh Hensley, lead vocalist and guitarist. "We think perhaps the secret to success is never giving up," says Jimmy Julia, bass player, "we know we've got something special to share and we're going to push until we've been heard."
"Each song is well written, well balanced, and well produced. I can see The Last Dinosaur becoming much bigger than their hometown in the near future, if some wicked smart record company will scoop them up quickly enough."-PJ Hagerty, Thoughts and Aquisitions blog
"Whether you want to be a moody adolescent, dance with friends or simply undulate in your room to an indie tide, then The Last Dinosaur are probably worth checking." Charlotte Watson, The Matshalltown Chronicle
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