CD REVIEW: THE DATE – PREMEDIDATED

Shane | 19 January 2022 | Reply

CD REVIEW: THE DATE – PREMEDIDATED
Independent
2019
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
85%

I’ve lost count of how many albums The Date have released to… errr… date. Is it four? Five? It’s an impressive catalogue, that’s for sure, and a few things are always guaranteed with any new release from these West Aussie rockers.

Vocalist and bassist David Moran and guitarist Rob Susanto are the core of the group, with journeyman Matt Fergusson pounding the drums for them on recent releases. The songs come from a blues rock foundation, but don’t be thinking Stevie Ray Vaughan or ZZ Top… The Date are too unique to pigeonhole into any simple ‘sounds like’ box.

In searching for a suitable adjective to describe The Date’s music, I keep returning to ‘thoughtful’ and ‘intelligent’. Lyrically, Moran’s punny wordplay is of a higher, smarter echelon that most – titles here include Liquidate, Validate, Predmedidated, Inundated, Sequedate, Accommodate, Waterdate, Intoxidated, Candidate and Intimidate – he LOVES his puns – and reading the enclosed lyric sheet is always an entertaining sideline.

Musically they are catchy, clever, and they clearly groove and rock and sizzle, but always on their own terms – a little bluesy here, a little fleck of country there, a little rockier over yonder, always with Susanto’s sublime and tasty licks punctuating everything like a second, six stringed, vocalist.

Premedidated is a thoroughly enjoyable listen, one which might be best enjoyed live sitting on a bar stool at your favourite drinking establishment, or perhaps standing around the barbecue with your mates and a few coldies on a sunny Sunday arvo. Just make sure you make time to really listen to those clever lyrics – they’re far better than just about anything you’ll hear on the radio nowadays.