26 March 2021 - 0 Comments

Suspicion is the second serving from the latest batch of Datsuns tunes, now ready to be dished up to the masses. Touching upon this present era of paranoia, the failure in the currency of words, what can be believed, what can be taken at face value anymore, the lies behind the lies. Propelled by an ambling, descending psychedelic zig zag of a riff, moored to the deck by the patented Datsun glam-tinged stomp, a mid-tempo crafted mystic vibe. The dry ice smoke and chrome mirror visuals beckon boldly.

"Born musically from the marriage of two very different sounding tracks. One of heavy fuzz riffs and a pounding danceable beat, the other: a spooky, reverb laden acoustic track. Somehow they merged together into a new kind of beast, one laid on top of the other. It's pretty self explanatory lyrically. Exploring falling prey to suspicions, paranoia and cynicism in the post-truth world." - Dolf Datsun

Seven years hath passed since the last release action from NewZild's most noted crafters of classic (as in some of sort of 70's-inspired grunge-metal meets garage) rock. And two whole decades are done and dusted since they took the Northern Hemisphere by storm, scoring a Peel session and an NME cover and touring the States and heading back to hit Australia & New Zealand for a Big Day Out tour and leading the back-to-rock charge at the beginning of the millennium alongside the White Stripes, The Hives and The Strokes. And while time has not stood still, it hasn’t slowed them one bit either – The Datsuns are now making the best music they’ve ever made.

Album number seven Eye to Eye has a varied stylistic grasp across its 11 tunes. It wraps the locomotive chug of classic Ian Gillan/Ritchie Blackmore-helmed Deep Purple - seasoned nicely with generous servings of Jon Lord keyboard surge - to some updated glam space boogie power chordage. Dolf comes across like some bastard offspring of Marc Bolan and Alice Cooper (and sounds at time a ringer for Redd Kross’ Jeff McDonald); there are some otherworldly fantastical floating melodies wafting in & out of this selection of tracks, and the Alice sneer & snarl is there on the more heart-pounding tunes. The guitar effects and greater keyboard dosage pepper the tunes with new flavours; let us not forget the contribution here of lead Datsun instrumentalist, Christian Livingstone, who has laboured intently, fine tuning freaked fuzz frequencies and space-age squeal and a host of other soaring dogfighting & dive-bombing tones, for the instrumental breaks and beds of the album. If the tone and attack are the primary responsibilities Mr Livingstone bears, the dynamics and tempo rest in the mitts of them other Datsun three. Guitarist "Windmill" Phil Somervell brings his rhythmic chops & noted arm flailin', to underscore the light & shade of the riffage; Ben "Poundin' Soul" Cole machine guns the rolls, and hits the timing twists & turns when required; Master de Borst locks in his bass walkin', & talkin', stuttering & strutting preposterously on cue.

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