“Whatever You Wanna Call It” is the latest release from London-based rock band The Others Are Dead, Steve (TOADS, for short). This is a cool proto-punk style track with crispy guitar and bass and perfect no-nonsense rock drums. The lead guitar work here really stands out - it’s not just your run-of-the-mill blues rock guitar, but rather something a bit alien with intricate little guitar melodies and harmonies plus some neat effects pedals. We’re always pleasantly surprised by tracks like this that are rooted in an old school genre but are able to infuse outside influences to create something different while still feeling organic.
The rock style vocals pull everything together with interesting reproduction of those curious guitar lines in some sections and effortlessly supreme delivery in the chorus, which is supported by big rock choir backup singing. The classic sounding rock edge and naturally delivered vocal style is almost a blend between Blondie and other proto-punk femme fatales and a more modern take on that style similar to Gwen Stefani. The band’s social media does a great job of furthering that femme fatale tone with mischievous, entertaining content, including music reviews and track playthroughs. Check it out here. We also added this track to our Underground Punk playlist on Spotify.
The Others Are Dead, Steve - Whatever You Wanna Call It