Album Review: Dinosaur Pile-Up – I’ve Felt Better (Mascot Records)

Struggle. Vulnerability. Pain. Resilience. Love. It’s been a hell of a journey that Dinosaur Pile-Up have been on, and they’ve bravely laid it out bare on their new album ‘I’ve Felt Better’. Their first record in six years will be released on August 22nd via Mascot Records.

Welcome back Dinosaur Pile-Up, how we have missed you. To think, there was a very real possibility that this album (and any album) would ever happen. Yet, here we are and what a joyful thing it is. Dinosaur Pile-Up are back, and back with a banger of a release.

Five years of pent-up emotion – hope, despair, resignation and colossal bravery – and you can feel it. The title track is a passionate outburst that has that distinctive Dinosaur Pile-Up sound. Which, if you know this band, guarantees one hell of an anthemic time. They’ve not missed a beat, and this is such a catchy tune. However, that it comes with so much feeling, so much importance, is what makes it so damn special.

It had to be the opener, didn’t it? I love it and it’s one of the catchiest tracks I’ve heard all year, but it’s not alone and the raw honesty of I’ve Felt Better is downright delightful. Especially when it rocks up in the chorus. While vocalist Matt may have gone through more than any of us ever will, the track’s sentiment sticks and just about everyone will be able to relate.

That’s the summation of the album though. An album filled with infectious alternative and punk rock power, drawing from difficult times, but not exclusively so, and showcasing a refocused and reenergised band. I wouldn’t have called myself a big fan before, but this album has me well and truly sold.

I love the noisier and more abrasive style of Punk Kiss (an apt title), the ‘in your face’ lyrics of Sick of Being Down, and imaginative My Way. They’re all very creative tracts, but importantly, they showcase variety and a Dinosaur Pile-Up that isn’t wholly focused on the ‘what was’, but rather the ‘what is’ and ‘what can be’.

Aren’t they sounding great? A return that is more than just a rethread of greatest hits too and even a track like Big Dogs, one that doesn’t quite hit as hard (from a memorability stand point) has appealing aspects.

I find it a really lovable listen overall and extremely digestible, but also an album that gives more and more provided you’re willing to immerse yourself in it. This is what keeps me focused and enjoying big singalongs like Big You and Me, melody-laced efforts like Love’s the Worst, (the pop-punk chorus is awesome), foot tappers like Quasimodo Melonheart, and rocking energy upticks like Sunflower. Lovable Dinosaur Pile-up track after track and you’d have to be a stone-cold son of a bitch to find anything to complain about here.

That’s the summation of my feelings on the album as a whole. I find it so lovable, so digestible, and so memorable. There are tracks that I love and tracks that I like and to me that’s the sign of a great album. Right up to the end with the indie-rock orientated Unfamiliar and the more emotive I Don’t Love Nothing and Nothing Loves Me. A powerhouse finale that confirms what I already know, and you should too, Dinosaur Pile-Up are back and sounding better than ever!

Dinosaur Pile-Up – I’ve Felt Better Track listing:

1. ‘Bout to Lose It
2. I’ve Felt Better
3. Punk Kiss
4. Sick of Being Down
5. My Way
6. Big Dog
7. Big You And Me
8. Love’s the Worst
9. Quasimodo Melonheart
10. Sunflower
11. Unfamiliar
12. I Don’t Know Nothing And Nothing Loves Me

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