"take me to the after party" - A Razor Sharp New Album by Dead Ex Girlfriends

Review by Jim Klenz Live photos by Tracy Creighton (Copperblue Photography)

Sharpening any cutting instrument is a precise art. Maybe it’s a bit ironic to describe a grunge/punk album that way; as musical precision. However, the honed edge of take me to the after party got a hold of me in the first few bars of the opening track. And if that’s all it was, artistic precision, I know I could have broken away. But through every track on their debut album, Dead Ex Girlfriends have open-heartedly lashed out with raw emotional hooks that dug in and still haven’t let me go.

Hailing from Treaty 6 Territory, Dead Ex Girlfriends consist of Vada Boyer, Gabrielle Giroux, Cairo Dawn, and Siena Rose. Their recently released album, take me to the after party, produced by Stacy Tinant, belies its debut status with a magical blend of hard-hearted vulnerability and professional musicianship.

A distant drumbeat and carefree voices invite you into the opening track of the album. Even someone of my advanced years can recall the excitement of walking into a party. The anticipation of meeting the gaze of a special someone across a crowded room is intoxicating. However, as the beat of this song gains strength, you feel something else going on. Before you can change your mind and drift away from “the party”, the lead guitar line shatters innocent reminiscence. Followed by the vocals that rip away the rest of the curtain to reveal a much darker and desperate experience. One that will stay with you; even as the song suddenly ends, and kicks you to the curb with scarcely more than a devilishly slick change in tempo launching you into track two.

In “bummer” the band continues to make tastefully expressive use of tempo changes. To me this is a clear sign of maturity and skill. Where the Dead Ex Girlfriends could have relied on more of the basal sonic force expected of a traditionally rough and tumble genre, they have instead allowed the song’s message of resentment to slice into the listener through complex craft.

Does that complexity suggest the Dead Ex Girlfriends are only here to indulge in sanitary mathematically syncopated melodic explorations? Naw man. I mean sure… there ain’t nothin’ sloppy here, but sanitized? No way. These grungy punks pull you into a risky encounter and infect you with appreciation for their courageous vulnerability.

While searching the darkness for the pulsing soul of a song, Siena shows no fear. The drumming on the aforementioned “bummer” is skilled enough to keep the track’s heart beating even when the tempo dives with beautiful unpredictability. Likewise, when a song needs a straight ahead but tastefully spare rhythmic texture like that of “the after party”, it’s there.

Vada’s vocals delicately entice us into shared pain until we are in the grips of it. Then they open up with pure melodic power to make sure you don’t forget it. And when necessary, the full force of punk/grunge vocal rage is briefly unleashed to stomp out any pretense of pop star ambition from ever being on the menu.

A mad queen and her dragons, Gabrielle has full command of the unruly beasts that are guitar and overdriven amp. The delicately muted strumming with lightly toasted distortion of “not the one” carefully leads you by the hand until it rips into power chords that threaten to scorch that hand if you try to pull away. Have no fear though, armed with her axe, Gabrielle will keep you safe on your journey.

The frequency ranges inhabited by vocals, guitar and drums are often the ones the listener is most aware of. So it’s easy to assume bass is somehow less important. Especially on an album that so tastefully highlights these familiar treble voices. But the maze of stone sonic walls that you are slammed into without mercy on tracks like “sober up” and “let me leave” could so easily crumble without the mortar that is Cairo’s bass playing.

take me to the after party is an anthology of punk/grunge stories unified by purposefully unleashed raw emotion and carefully crafted with artistic dedication. Stacy Tinant’s production feels thoughtful with a careful selection of studio effects melded with the band’s unique sound only at the most critical moments. Fans of the genre, or humans who have a bone to pick with life, shouldn’t miss it.