The first thing you’ll notice about Seattle punks Dreamdecay is that they are very loud.
This was fully put into perspective earlier this month, when they played the Know with bands significantly less loud than them—historically a faux pas, especially in Portland. (See Portlandia’s “Battle of the Gentle Bands,” the series’ most accurate skit!) But nobody in the audience batted an eyelash. In fact, some people were even tapping their feet.
This makes sense, sort of—Dreamdecay’s new full-length, Yú, is one of the most accessible heavy records released in recent memory. It’s also a far cry from the band’s last LP, 2013’s N V N V N V (pronounced “envy,” I think)—a lurching, noisy slow-burn characterized by guitars that sound like diving artillery shells and etherized, inscrutable vocals. N V N V N V is a frightening record.