The Dissidents/D.O.V.E. – A Higher World
LP | CD | DL | Streaming
Out 19 Sept 2025 obtainable right here
The newest Develop Your Personal is a lesson from America in write nice catchy melodic trendy anarcho-punk with ladies taking part in a number one position. It additionally sends out a beacon of hope in these darkish occasions, says Nathan Brown.
Already being acquainted with The Dissidents by way of their break up EP with Vitriolic Response and D.O.V.E. by way of their album on Develop Your Personal, I might have put cash on this being an excellent launch. I might have been quids in, as a result of it’s brilliant and refreshing, and whereas the album offers lyrically with a few of the negatives of society it places ahead an agenda for change. Develop Your Personal preserve delivering high quality releases and in bringing collectively two bands from reverse coasts of the USA, they’ve delivered up a lesson in write nice anarcho-punk tunes led by womens’ voices.
The very first thing that strikes you about The Dissidents from Philadelphia is that they’ve a punishing rhythm part that pushes into the purple. A double guitar assault switches between waves of energy and a knitted melodic patchwork of arpeggios that floats over you. There’s additionally sometimes some keyboards simply so as to add to the environment. This full sound backs up three ladies’s voices with quite a bit to say. The majority of the songs are variations on a theme in regards to the state of their homeland because it slides nearer to the abyss, calling for a greater world.
Though a band in their very own proper, The Dissidents have a high-quality pedigree. Amongst their quantity is Invoice from The Pist, Mankind? Behind Enemy Strains and a bunch of different bands – who sadly handed away in July of this 12 months. The band additionally options Janine and Nicole from Witch Hunt.
No Air is a kind of anthemic kind songs that builds and builds, creating right into a wall of sound. Similar to the model of US bands of previous like Defiance, and The Pist. The chanted vocals “No Justice No Air” make for an excellent singalong second in a powerful opening salvo.
Swamp Tune is way extra melodic, as are the remainder of The Dissidents’ songs on this launch. The wavering vocal melodies, and even a few of the underlying tunes, carry a touch of previous people songs. The best way the vocal melodies work with the tune just isn’t dissimilar to Oregon anarcho-punks of yesteryear Harum Scarum.
Rampaging bass and drums lead the fray on Damned Nation whereas cheeky lead guitar breaks introduce every verse. The shared vocals on the refrain once more work to actually good impact. Historical past Repeats retains up the tempo and the repeated line “Historical past Repeats” with vocal traces reducing throughout it’s actually efficient.
The defiance of Twisted Cell within the face of well being problems sounds out the message “You possibly can’t kill me” with one other catchy chant on high of a catchy refrain. The Dissidents know write a tune.
A.C.A.C. – All Cops Are…Culpable, not the C phrase you have been considering of! Whereas there’s a tongue in cheek nod to the extra sweary connotation, The Dissidents are making a critical level in regards to the murderous actions of the cops within the USA. The important thing message “No good cops in a racist system” makes it clear that it’s not simply particular person aberration or just a few rotten apples spoiling the barrel that ends in racist murders by cops. The issue is systemic. Sound acquainted?
Sinister Transmissions dismantles doubtful conspiracy theories, stating that there’s sufficient actual shit to be frightened of: “You possibly can’t make up how dangerous issues are. What greed conjures up is worse by far”. I completely get the place that is coming from. Wild conspiracy theories present such a smokescreen that when an actual conspiracy of silence or cowl up is revealed it’s simpler for the powers that be to dismiss it as “tin foil hat” conspiracy. The conspiracy theorists create the circumstances for actual conspiracies to be smuggled by means of in plain sight.
The ultimate track from The Dissidents, Countless Conflict, seems to be to a optimistic future when the cycle of violence – in Palestine specifically – will be damaged. It’s a transferring track. Already poignant with the Arabic studying of the poem “The Deluge and the Tree”, it was additionally destined to be the final track from Invoice Chamberlain. A heartbreaking but optimistic Fb message additionally shared on Bandcamp from Rachel, The Dissidents singer/keyboard player and Bill’s wife, sets out her loss but also celebrates Endless War – what would be his last song. Please take the time to read it.
Listen to Endless War by The Dissidents
Grow Your Own have given us a great recording from The Dissidents. While it is a sad reminder what the punk scene lost when Bill died earlier this year, it’s also a celebration of what he excelled at. His work proliferates among mine and many other people’s record collections but if this had been his only release it would have been a fine legacy.
Yet there is more! As a stand alone release this would have been worth shouting from the rooftops about, but the flip side by D.O.V.E. is a fitting partner.
D.O.V.E. start off with a heavy damped guitar and pounding drums, a little heavier than I was expecting. The somewhat echoey guitar also picks out single note solos and in places is quite tinny giving this a bit of the DIRT sound. As Beyond Speciesism (the title tells you what it is about) develops the guitar becomes more jagged and also reminds me of 80s Bournemouth punks Mad Are Sane among others.
Possession is a fast shouty punky street punk number which is stylistically not dissimilar to The Dissidents No Air. Pounding drums slow down for an atmospheric chorus with echo on the vocals as well as the guitar before speeding up again for the next verse, focusing on the desire of man to control the natural world and human beings.
The wish for a more natural world (“Out of concrete flowers bloom”) continues with (A) Garden and has a dose of Siouxsie and the Banshees aesthetic, as I remarked on their 2023 album (a few copies still available so grab one while you can). It’s there in the rumbling roaming rhythm section, the vocals and the washy arpeggio guitar. There is also a touch of some of the more melodic 80s anarcho bands who dabbled in post-punk.
The surfy guitar, rumbling toms and wavering vocal of Wind Of Revolution draws on the Californian DNA of the band. I’m hearing a 60s and 70s vibe, and to be honest the whole idea of a revolution blowing in fits with that counter-cultural period (Blowing In The Wind, anyone?). A snatch of a speech from a protest closes this number, drawing connections between attacks in Palestine and arms dealers.
The song D.O.V.E. stands as a reminder that small individual acts do make a difference. Starting melancholy and slow, with the bass providing the backbone, this tune washes over you sounding sad or resigned to fate but then builds into something more upbeat and exuberant which sounds more hopeful. The melodic yet upbeat, occasionally frantic, approach has me thinking of Zounds at their best. The “love over hate” message is in tune with the Zounds vibe as well, alongside Omega Tribe with whom D.O.V.E. toured down the West Coast. And what does D.O.V.E. stand for? It’s revealed in the last line: “Destroying Oppression and Violence Everywhere”.
Another melodic number reminiscent of Zounds and Omega Tribe, Peace by Piece, is a slow burner. It fades to closes the album on a peaceful note and the spoken vocal speaks to the idea that lots of small acts build into a wave or wind of change. In this case the metaphor is a whisper growing into a vibration. On this occasion D.O.V.E. stands for “Destroy Oppression, Visualise Empathy.”
Kicking off with the rambunctious Dissidents and closing on the peaceful D.O.V.E. this album has been a joy to listen to and has held up my reviewing schedule with all its repeated plays.
While the bands have somewhat different approaches, they fit well together. By virtue of their sound as well as their message, both fit within the broad anarcho-punk family but with their own style. The shared meta-message across the songs laid out on the lyric sheet is that a better world is possible. The poster that comes with this release underlines this message. It puts billionaire handshakes over factory farms and a scene of bombed landscape with the straightforward question “Will you watch history repeat or fight for a better world?”. Well, will you?
Available to buy or stream from Grow Your Own
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Words by Nathan Brown. You can read more from Nathan on his Louder Than War archive over here.
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