Kids, the newest EP by the band ‘da nang’ blasts a loud and 90s garage rock-inspired sound. Over driving riffs and gritty textures, the band layers vocals steeped in the earnestness of third-wave emo, pulling raw emotion to the forefront.
Before listening, I was intrigued by the band’s name, which comes from Đà Nẵng, a picturesque coastal beach town in Vietnam, which means “to be born in paradise”:
“In place of paradise, lie the stories of a first-generation Canadian, born to refugees in small-town Ontario. Fronted by queer Viet lead singer John Thai, ‘da nang’ is an international revisit to 90’s adolescence: a time when queer voices were never heard.” They say.
That context made me eager to hear what they sounded like, and it did not disappoint. The 4-track EP immediately transported me back to the early 2000s, a golden era for emo and post-hardcore. The songs reminded me of artists I used to blast in my room as a teenager, like Jimmy Eat World, Taking Back Sunday, and Sunny Day Real Estate. It’s exciting to see bands keeping this style alive and relevant today. Now go check them out!
Written by Joshua Cotrim
