My Dynamite - Otherside (2017)

1 	Round The Bend 	5:38
2 	Witch Hat 	3:48
3 	So Familiar 	5:26
4 	State We're In 	3:53
5 	Can't Tell Lies 	5:28
6 	Love Revolution 	6:36
7 	Motortalkin' 	3:34
8 	Otherside 	5:56
9 	Don't Steal The Light 	5:34

Patrick Carmody (vocals)
Jorge Balas (guitar)
Benny "The Bloodhound" Wolf (guitar)
Travis Fraser (bass)
Simon Aarons (drums)

My Dynamite’s eponymous debut in 2012 created quite a buzz for the Australian outfit, notably landing them an opening slot with legendary southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd. Why it has taken this long to deliver a follow up, I do not know, but the intervening years have not dulled the group, who still display the exuberance and vigour that served them well five years ago on Otherside.

The phrase that keeps coming back to me whilst listening to Otherside is ‘feel good’. Not necessarily for the lyrical content, but for the overall vibe the record gives off. There’s an inviting warmth to it all that just draws you in. It’s predominantly laidback, groovy rock with a soulful, southern tinge; the sort of thing that’s perfect for toe tapping with a cold brew on a warm summer afternoon. The band plant themselves right in that retro, ’70s style sound with a basic, no frills production that greatly suits their material. Riffs bump and grind with a bluesy swagger in the vein of the Stones, Black Crowes or Aerosmith, with Pat Carmody’s voice, at times drawing from the well of Steven Tyler and Chris Robinson, only likely to further these comparisons. Riffs don’t rule the roost however, as My Dynamite bring a wealth of other influences to expand the musical repertoire of Otherside.

The band set out their stall from the off with the infectious boogie of “Round the Bend”, a catchy rock n’ roller with a generous helping of harmonica, slide guitar and piano to give it a honky tonk feel. “Witch Hat” continues the momentum with another bouncing foot stomper with some rather sumptuous guitar licks. “State We’re In” has more drive and urgency about it; it’s thumping march and irresistible rhythms sure to get the body moving. The cool, sharp riff of the title track is offset by a soulful, uplifting chorus; the lead guitar trade off and sing along melody in the closing passages one of those moments that’s sure to come alive in the live environment. It will definitely lend itself well to an improv ending in concerts; in all honesty, it could’ve gone of for another five minutes on record and it still wouldn’t have overstepped the mark. The reserved acoustic number, “Can’t Tell Lies”, is fantastic, well served by a monstrous vocal hook in the chorus, and at this point just seeing the title has the song playing in my head. Closer “Don’t Steal the Light” is just as subdued, but is more tender and threadbare in its approach, as strings and maracas accompany the acoustic pluckings that play under Carmody’s vocals; a quietly potent way to close out proceedings.

There are some minor hiccups in the form of the forgettable “Love Revolution” and “Motortalkin’”, but thankfully, nothing here is flat out bad. Also, whilst some of the stronger tracks are undeniably good, they teeter on the cusp of brilliance but come up agonisingly short, which is quite irksome. Indication that My Dynamite are on the right path, but miss out on that something special a little too often. Otherside is still a good album regardless of these drawbacks, and is suitable for anyone who likes rock n’ roll with plenty of groove, harmonies and a bit of southern/country flair. ---drbunning, midlandsmetalheads.com

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