Dartz!: This Is My Ship

The Indie Review

By Sean Duregger
May 1, 2008

Artist: Dartz!
Album: This Is My Ship
Label: Deep Elm Records (US) & Xtra Mile Recordings (UK)
Rating:

Dartz! is a trio from Teesside in North East England who combine tasty morsels of punk, emo, dance and indie rock into an irresistibly catchy and memorable sound. My only regret is not getting this album reviewed sooner, because this is a band that demands attention from the start and needs to be heard.

Released on Deep Elm Records in the US and Xtra Mile Recordings in the UK, This Is My Ship is a collection of punk infused, schizophrenic pop songs that continue to surprise and delight with each listen. Like a distant cousin of Minus the Bear’s Planet of Ice (iTunes) or Modest Mouse’s We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (iTunes), Dartz! combine some of the best elements of experimental, emo, punk, lo-fi and dance into their debut album. The result is an album that is wholly original and stands up to multiple listens.

For a trio, Dartz! puts it all out on the table musically. This isn’t your standard three chord punk rock. The guitar, bass and drums work together with such precision you want to catch them live just to see if they can pull it off from the stage. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to see them live yet.

With This Is My Ship, Dartz! have proven to be a band that needs to be heard. They’re originality and dynamic songs speak volumes. I really hope Dartz! is a band that will be releasing albums steadily from here on out.

Stand Out Tracks

“St. Petersburg”

“Once, Twice, Again!”

“Fantastic Apparatus”