Have you met DIRK.? DIRK. is one of the most popular indie acts in Belgium, having scored two successful albums and a string of alternative charttoppers. Or, as one influential music magazine put it after their triumphant gig at the Pukkelpop festival: “DIRK. has what it takes to be one of the best Belgian bands around, simply because they already are.”
DIRK. surfaced in 2018 with their debut record ‘album’ and reached national indie stardom with their 2020 sophomore album ‘Cracks in Common Sense’ and characteristic geeky indie rock sound – warm like Weezer, edgy like Pixies and Fugazi. Over the past two years the band has worked hard to become an even more close-knit fourpiece, and surgically removed what little baby fat was left. The result can be heard on forthcoming new album ‘Idiot Paradise’, where DIRK. sounds more focused and ferocious, while at the same time exploring new musical territory and adding a touch of sheer international class and wit, much like Blur did towards the end of the 90s (“13”).
The spellbinding opening track ‘Half-life’ is Sonic Youth joining hands with Fontaines D.C., raging post-punk infused with a generous amount of 90s alternative guitar hooks. The title track is 3 minutes of metronomically hypnotizing indie, before shifting to a coda of crunchy riffs and thumping drums, screaming Silversun Pickups and Car Seat Headrest. ‘No’ and ‘Roman Numerals’ are DIRK. as we’ve known and loved them for years: punchy, ridiculously catchy and radio-friendly guitar noise. Another highlight is ‘I Can’t sleep’, which sounds like a recently discovered glorious lost track from Pavement’s ‘Wowee Zowee’. And closing track ‘Alarms’ is the fitting exclamation mark, wrapping up this grandiose album with an epic outro.
