7

Dartz! fail to hit the target.

'Fantastic Apparatus', it's a song title that immediately says this band is a bit different. Not too many of the up and coming bruiser boys with guitars would use apparatus so fair play to Dartz for indicating that their vocabulary is varied. As for the song itself, its also a clever little piece, volleying in a lot of different ideas and styles that all bounce along nicely but collectively doesn't quite hit the bulls eye.

The opening guitar stabs quickly gave way to powering drums that by the time the vocals kick in there is a lot vying for your attention, although to be honest, its not as if the vocals are fighting hard to be heard, theres just something familiar and muted in the delivery and even the 'wooh' fails to convince. Managing to be less than the sum of its parts, the lead track isn't going to worry most other bands.

'Cold Holidays' is a bit better, the vocals have more to do here and there is an urgency which the opening song lacks, again, the drums can be found hammering away in the background and again, the guitar work is clipped and angular. Theres easy comparisons to be made for Dartz but it can be a bit lazy to do so.

And on the first few listens, there just isn't enough to get inspired about these songs, theres no great sense of desire or of trying to win you over, they just meander and exist...and for some people that's enough but these tracks fail to bring Dartz to your attention.