While the lyrics and vocals on the new Dr. Awkward & The Screws album, Gettin’ Out of Style have their moments, what really steals the spotlight on this album are the long instrumental riffs that provide serious opportunity for headbanging until you get dizzy.
The song names on Getting’ Out of Style may make you think you’re in for some of teenage angst-type lyrics with titles like ‘Below’, ‘Doomed’ and ‘Spellbound’. However the lyric “Baby, you’re driving me crazy. I wish I could remember your name” is so badass it dispels any preconceptions I might have had about the album.
The songs on this one all seem to start off in a more classic rock style, but often move into a sort of classic rock/metal hybrid, so maybe that’s the direction that Dr. Awkward & The Screws are going. It’s certainly surprising that songs that start off sounding like they come from the Guardians of the Galaxy sound track take such a twist, but then I think that’s part of their charm.
The album cover reflects the music’s older rock feel, giving it an element of nostalgia that Dr. Awkward & The Screws really make work for them, but the echo effects on the vocals do obstruct them a little and mean they get a little lost behind the music itself, a big difference from the previous singles they have released.
Although the early released ‘Doomed’ takes the title of my favourite track. The album ends on the song ‘Counting’ which drifts away with a satisfying kind of eeriness that ultimately does the album justice. At the end of the day, Gettin’ Out of Style has some good elements to it and just feels like it could do with a little refining. Which, for a first full album, is pretty good.
