Having recently been on a trip to Athens to record an album with long time friend, and singer of The Dark Rags, DD, I find myself in possession of their newest release - a two track record which continues the good work of their debut, self-titled album.

So yeah, I know these guys, and it may appear inevitable that I am not going to knock this record. Well, to be honest if I didn’t like this band they’d know about it, and I may not even write about it. As it turns out however, The Dark Rags are one of my favourite bands around at the moment.

The frontman, DD, has been in other good bands before (e.g. The Dustbowl) and the other guys too have had their stints in great Athenian rock ‘n’ roll bands, but it is the raw, low slung swagger of The Dark Rags that I am most attracted to. Their debut was littered with classic garage tracks, producing a decadent sound based around lyrics of loss, love and regret. It occupied a great place pulling in influences from The Dogs D’Amour to Social Distortion. A new album is on the cards, but as the wheels on that project slowly crawl in to motion, this two-track EP has been released to fill up some air time.

‘Underground’ starts off the business with a mean attitude. It’s beefy and distorted, and is a little heavier than some of their previous tracks. The lyrics are almost nonsensical and they’re spat out with a glorious snarl. The guitar breaks are typical of the Rags, carrying that great Stones-esque groove that tears out intermittently throughout the song.

If ‘Underground’ opens up the record with aggression, ‘Outta my Mind’ ends it with a delightful strut. The big chorus, the guitar work and layered vocals all work to bring out a memorable song which ends abruptly in less than two minutes. Both songs lean on the heavier side of the Rags’ sound, and punch a satisfying hole in the Athens scene as their fans wait patiently for the next album. If these tracks are anything to go by then The Dark Rags will remain one of the best, modern garage rock acts out there.  

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Dark-Rags/186378281378404?fref=ts

http://thedarkrags.bandcamp.com/album/underground