Dinosaur Pile-Up - Growing Pains
- Written by Paul Faller
It's fair to say that Leeds has seen its fair share of great bands come and go in recent years. But thankfully, the city's abundance of talent is rarely put to waste for long, as every band that goes the way of the dodo seems to spawn at least one new act. Mother Vulpine are a prime example - not only do their ex-members include Tom Hudson (now of Pulled Apart By Horses) but also one Matt Bigland, the creative mind behind Dinosaur Pile-Up. It's fair to say that Bigland is very much a fan of Dave Grohl - so much so that he was inspired to follow in the footsteps of his hero and write and play every song on the band's debut record. Growing Pains is the end result, constructed with producer James Kenosha (Grammatics, Pulled Apart By Horses) over a two-month period.
Unsurprisingly, given Bigland's inspiration, the record owes a great debt to Foo Fighters, marrying together weighty riffs and poppy hooks. Opener 'Birds And Planes' gives us a good idea of what to expect - ferocious sounding guitars provide a backdrop to Bigland's whimsical wish to fly into the sky and make friends with the birds and planes - reasoning that "I'd be no more alone up there/than I am down here." Debut single 'Mona Lisa' mixes tentative romantic overtures ("Hello/I left a message on your telephone/pick it up see what it says") with a weighty riff, indicating that Dinosaur Pile-Up have their formula down to a tee. The band's early singles make an appearance here as well, and for good reason - 'My Rock 'n' Roll' features a juggernaut of a riff, while 'Traynor' explodes out of the gate and doesn't let up for three minutes.
While the Foos are the most prominent influence, they're not the only band informing Dinosaur Pile-Up's music. 'Never That Together' riffs on The Beatles' 'Please Please Me', while 'Broken Knee' recalls Ash in power-ballad mode ('Starcrossed' in particular), with some QOSTA riffage thrown into the middle eight for good measure. Though rare, there are also tender moments here - 'Hey You' sees a melancholy Bigland sigh "I'm tired of being alone," over a sparse acoustic guitar line, before finally kicking into an arms-in-the-air stadium-rock finale.
Bigland's lyrical themes on Growing Pains are fairly straightforward - as the title would suggest, the album is about struggling with life, love and finding out who you want to be. Not rocket science then, but it doesn't need to be - the simple themes fit with the tunes, and that's all that's necessary. Growing Pains can get a little samey, but certainly never to the point where it becomes a chore to listen to. Ultimately, what Bigland has produced is a straightforward, fun rock album with some standout singalong tunes. These songs might be future festival stage igniters, your carefree driving soundtrack, or simply something to jump around your bedroom to - but however you spend your time listening to it, Growing Pains is destined to be the soundtrack to good times.