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Diver Dress is a DIY band from Minneapolis, MN — recording records in basements and attics, screen printing and assembling record sleeves and posters themselves, playing in dive bars, co-ops, backyards and basements — and you can hear it in their music: chaotic, fuzzed out pop songs with a heavy dose of punk and garage mixed in.
The band started in early 2012 and since then has played shows with notable national bands such as Intelligence, Audacity, Bleeding Rainbow and Lenguas Largas, as well as local MPLS favorites The Birthday Suits, Teenage Moods and Kitten Forever. In the span of the band they have released a 3-song demo, a 5-song 7”, The Silence EP, a 6-song 8” ( yes an 8" record ) as well as their newest release, a 7-song cassette titled Live Forever.
Arriving after a prolonged absence, this new cassette represents a step up for the band in just about every way: the cleaner, bolder production; the spot-on performances; the razor-sharp songwriting. Many of these songs have been in the band's repertoire for a few years without having ever been recorded, resulting in a satisfyingly tight and focused set of songs.
Most importantly, though, "Live Forever" captures the reckless energy suggested by the title. Diver Dress have always traded in a perfectly-executed combination of sweetly melodic garage rock and nihilistic punk, but this EP finds the best balance so far. Songs like "infected" and the title track find high drama in growing up and out of punk, while "End is Coming" perfectly sets the tone for seven songs that stare down apocalyptic despair and find hope in strange places.
