Variety is supposed to be the name of the game here, The Dingees claiming to be a collaboration of punk, ska, and reggae. I hear the first two styles on this advance six-song promo (full album coming March 24), but no reggae. I'm getting a strong Rancid vibe (but more friendly) from the four punk tracks--that bouncy, mid-tempo, rough-n-tumble, fun-to-sing-along punk style with ska overtones and occasional gang vocals. The other two tracks are slow ska tunes, with choruses that will stick in your head despite the mellow nature of the songs. The horns are laidback and unobtrusive (thankfully) in the ears of this horn-wary reviewer. In keeping with BEC's mainstream drive, The Dingees don't sing about anything overtly spiritual, dealing instead with traditional punk social topics, as evidenced by song titles like "Rebel Youth," "Workingman's Blues," and "Another Burning City." It would be nice to hear the full album, but this promo promises an interesting debut. The Dingees have put out some catchy songs despite the lack of originality in their punk sound (but let's face it...there are only so many ways to play punk!). (This review was based on a six-song promo)
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Other coverage for this album
7ball #19Reviewed by Derek WalkerWith the whiteboy reggae of the band Sublime selling records by the truckload, it seems about time The Dingees would make it. Originally a side project of now-labelmates The Supertones, they blend tight pop-punk with traditional roots reggae and ska, for a sound not unlike Hepcat (who lend their horn section for a couple of songs) or The Skatalites. Lead singer and songwriter Pegleg has an…Similar sounding releases
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