Dez Dare – ‘Hairline Ego Trip’ [Album Review]

The Australian-born, Brighton (UK)-based Dez Dare is a one-man band that has developed a unique sound with a garage-style of simple, yet effective, distorted and repetitive riffs that complement his almost spoken-word vocals. The new album Hairline Ego Trip is chaotic in nature but therein lies its charm; Dare has a lot to say and he is going to do it his own way!

The whole record has a similar vibe throughout so, rather than comment on individual tracks, I have opted to give the album an overall analysis. As previously mentioned, there is a chaotic nature to all the tracks that, somehow, works and each song has something to say, in fact, Dare himself outlined what his recent single, “Conspiracy, O’ Conspiracy,” is all about. He stated, the track deals with: “the digital wildebeest has been growing unabated for decades and fuels conspiracy theories and faux realities that divide and burn the threads of our community, dividing us with every byte transferred.” Honestly, I don’t fully understand what he means by this, I have my theories, but it creates some intrigue that drew me in.

If I am being honest, this really wasn’t my cup of tea, and I cannot envisage Dare topping any billboard charts, but something tells me he isn’t interested in such things, nor cares about other’s personal music tastes or opinions of his work. He has a niche style that will gain him like-minded fans and the truth of the matter is music is an expression of oneself. So, if you are looking for something new, something different, then perhaps Dare is the sort of musician to help fill said void.

Hairline Ego Trip Track Listing:

1. Dumb Dumb Dumb
2. Conspiracy, O’ Conspiracy
3. King + Queen Monstrosity
4. My My Medulla
5. Sandy’s Gonna Try
6. Break My Vice
7. Crowned by Catastrophe
8. Goodby Autonomy
9. Tractor Beam, Shitstorm

Run Time: 30:20
Release Date: June 4, 2021
Record label: Ch!mp Records