Dope Body – Kunk

"I think we're getting more mature as songwriters." That was Dope Body drummer David Jacober late last year, talking to The Skinny shortly after the release of the acclaimed Lifer. Album number six (if you include their cassette debut and a subsequent split release) from the Baltimore four piece offers little reason to argue. Pieced together from songs birthed during the Lifer sessions, Kunk is testament to both their work ethic and their quality control.

All of the developing Dope Body components are present: Jacober and bassist John Jones' jackhammer backbeat; the twitch and rasp of Zachary Utz's guitar; Andrew Laumann, in and out of the mix as ever but starting to emerge as a compelling and authoritative vocalist. From the trigger beats and scraping loops of Casual to the Bowie-aping Goon Line (think Fame re-tooled by Fugazi); from the psyche sway of Doom to the epic, closing Void, Kunk posits Dope Body's unflinching world view into a set of agit observationals. An essential companion piece to its excellent predecessor. [Gary Kaill]