Three years ago, the British dance-punk band Does It Offend You, Yeah? released their debut album ‘You Have No Idea What You’re Getting Yourself Into’ to a very receptive audience and glowing critical reviews. Rolling Stone declared them a breaking artist of 2008, and they were one of the most-listened-to new bands on last.fm that same year. After getting pushed back from Spring 2010, the band’s sophomore album, ‘Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You’, was finally released on March 14th to the rejoicing and elation of an increasingly large and dedicated fanbase.
The album opens up with their single We Are The Dead, which was released as a free download almost a year back. For nearly a minute, the track is very placid and very indie. Then the heavy beats and brusque Daft Punk-esque noises that made the band’s fame and name take over. According to frontman James Rushent, they are supposed to metaphorically resurrect the band, proving that they are still alive after a three year period in-between their first and second albums.
You can expect the same character and atmosphere from their first album on this one as well, but the band has grown up a little. They have taken the ambience and experimentation of electronic music and combined it with the vigor and aggression of punk rock. They have not only refined the unique sound that they created in their first album, but they’ve also begun to explore and transcend new genres and melodies. The album’s third track (and in my opinion, the best track), Pull Out My Insides, sounds like nothing they’ve done before. It’s much more melodic and more accessible than any of their other songs. A very serene, flute-like melody backs indie-sounding vocals that show off Rushent’s previously hidden ability to sing.
While Does It Offend You, Yeah? didn’t exactly become popular for having elegant or idyllic lyrics, there are many lyrical gems throughout the album, especially in the eighth track, Wondering. Lines like “I see scared people ‘cause I see unfair leaders. I see dead people ‘cause I see shared needles.” will have you slightly smirking or thinking about changing your Facebook status.
The seventh track off the album, Wrestling, is by far the weakest. Repetitive boisterous beats and noises back a very predictable, angry, and anti-establishment monologue that drags on and on. Wrestling shows us where punk can go wrong. Rather than getting me pumped up and adrenaline-fueled, I was bored and unmoved while listening to it.
The entirety of the album, however, is generally very strong. The second-to-last track, Knife, builds up a very exciting climax and the last track, Broken Arms, is almost like a resolution. It’s peaceful, harmonious, and like Pull Out My Insides, very indie. A very poignant and memorable ending to a very strong album. ‘Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You’ will delight long-time fans, convert anyone who is still on the fence, and mesmerize new listeners.
‘Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You’ was released on March 14th, 2011
