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Durge Premiere Lyric Video for “Round and Round” from Dirge EP

Posted in Bootleg Theater on November 15th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

durge

A couple things to get straight before we dig in here: The band is Durge. The EP is Dirge. And no, “Round and Round” is not a Ratt cover. Okay? Everybody on board?

Based in Cape Town, South Africa, the not-quite-shoegaze four-piece made their debut in August with the five-song Dirge, proffering heavied up ’90s alt vibes with a pervasive current of downerism. Think the grunge that made you sad, with an edge of psychedelia tossed in. “Round and Round,” for which the band has a new lyric video posted basically as a way of saying, “hey, we exist,” captures the melodic and depressive aspects of their approach well, with the vocals of guitarist Mark Ellis backed harmonically by bassist Francois Taljaardt and a sense of reach and scope between Ellis‘ and Heinrich Wesson‘s guitars given over to a massive crunch propelled by the drums of James Lombard. It’s heavy stuff, and unlike many songs written about monotony, it isn’t monotonous.

Elsewhere on the EP — which is streaming in full at the bottom of this post courtesy of Durge‘s Soundcloud page — they smash together laid back angularity and forward thrust with “On Call for Death” and adventure into minor-key leads and vocal interplay on “The Man Who Has Never Seen Snow.” Their two longest cuts round out in “Faithless” (6:24) and “Restless Nights” (8:14), making for a potent side B that drives a desert-hued patience in “Faithless” toward a momentary swell of melancholic progressivism. Drums lead the way into “Restless Nights,” but there’s plenty of time to explore reaches that on more straight-ahead cuts like “Round and Round” and “On Call for Death” sought not to tread. And they do, demonstrating a willingness to develop the track at its own pace, letting parts breathe before moving into their next stage and ultimately leaving an impression balanced between emotionalist intensity and sonic engagement.

Dig into “Round and Round” — again, an original — on the player immediately following, and the EP beneath some more background from the PR wire, which follows. You know how it goes.

Enjoy:

Durge, “Round and Round” lyric video premiere

DURGE was formed in Cape Town, South Africa in 2016 by Mark Ellis, Francois Taljaardt, James Lombard, and Heinrich Wesson. Over the past two years the band has been forging their unique sound that they call “Melandelic Rock”, a fusion of melancholy and psychedelic sounds. They’ve recently released their debut EP titled Dirge.

Vocalist/guitarist Mark Ellis comments on the EP, “Being very much a DIY project and the band’s first official release (with the help of some close friends), this EP is something close to the hearts of all four members. It also marks the start of an exploration into our sound which still has many dimensions to uncover. Dealing mostly with individualism and social issues, Dirge is a short statement to life.”

Durge is:
Mark Ellis – Lead Vocals, Guitar
Francois Taljaardt – Backing Vocals, Bass
James Lombard – Drums
Heinrich Wesson – Guitar

Durge on Instagram

Durge on Thee Facebooks

Durge on Soundcloud

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