Skate Punk has seen a bit of a revival lately, though it’s still subjugated to a smaller corner of the musical niche that everyone is now afforded with self-personalized algorithms and customized playlists.
The genre lends itself well to nostalgia, even if one wasn’t around for its peak of popularity. There’s something about the sound and production that’s unique to the style of start-stop talk-singing hidden behind a mask of distortion and fuzz that ages it in a way that still feels relevant.
The Dilrods have a grasp on it that plays well live, with the same high-energy drive of bands like the Circle Jerks, with all the same wit in lyricism out of something from Screeching Weasel or The Chats.
Based out of Spokane, they actually have a fairly decent amount of music with two albums and an EP released between 2020 and 2023. None of them overstay their welcome, which is one of the best things a punk album can choose not to do, and they all maintain a fairly cohesive sound while remaining distinct enough from each other that they don’t present as stale.
My favorite off the discography is probably Low Expectations off their most recent album, Waiting to Die, partly due to the drums in the track pairing well with the vocals, and partly because it was just the most fun I had hearing them live.
They’re booked fairly consistently out at The Black Lodge and The Big Dipper, so make sure to catch them at a live show if you get the chance or give them a listen online.