SONG REVIEW: Dakota Ave - "Soul Fragments"
“Dakota Ave is bringing Dubstep back into Metalcore and we are EATING IT UP!”
by Jesse Smith
If you’re a fan of bands like Make Them Suffer and The Browning then you are in luck because I have a “must listen to” band that you probably haven’t heard yet. Based in New Mexico, Dakota Ave has been making massive moves in their local scene. With a mixture of heavy riffs and atmospheric electronics, the band is anything but boring. Today, we are looking over their brand new single “Soul Fragments” which completely blew me away from listen #1. The band formed in 2017 but their first single on Spotify was released in 2021 and their 2nd in 2022. Here we are in 2023 and for this being only their third single is bananas, I can comfortably say they really out did themselves on this one. As they have been having a chokehold on the up and coming NM scene, they have been opening massive shows and sometimes being the only local on the show which for those who aren’t aware, is a pretty big deal. This means that they have gathered a pretty loyal and local fan base and have proved that they are apart of the top new acts, and judging by this single, I believe it.
Like I said before, the band’s direction is immediately giving older Make Them Suffer vibes, with the heavy riffs, insane vocals, and well crafted and placed electronic sections. In the first 30-40 seconds the band comes hot out of the gate with a very bouncy intro and verse. Vocalist Malcolm Reese shows off his incredible screams ranging ear piercing high and punchy lows. As the chorus kicked in, I started to hear super high singing which immediately made me skeptical on how this was going to sound. To my surprise they absolutely crushed it and didn’t sound forced or pitchy but it was belted at the top of their register and still sounded amazing, but what came next instantly made me a fan, que the wubz. The Transition out of the first chorus was the first time I heard the real electronic element to the band and it made my jaw hit the table. It brought a completely new energy to the song and carried it out until the end. It was like the first time I heard “Murder Mitten” by I See Stars when they really put dubstep in instead of just electronica and it completely changed the game. Dirty dubstep breakdowns mixed with pure talent and good songwriting take this band to another level.
Even though dubstep is a highlight and they pride themselves in having that element, It doesn’t take away from the music or the band at all. Dakota Ave is versatile, meaning if they had a song with no electronics it would still be sick. They don’t seem to lean on it heavily, but instead use it to heightened the already high energy and take it to that place that no one locally is doing. In the grand scheme of things, this band is fairly new. Even having a 2017 start stamp, This will be the bands 3rd single which is not a lot, so sky's the limit for this band. I’ve looked up some of the shows they are opening and they are all stacked and fits the band’s sound perfectly. They are obviously smart and have a clear vision of who they are and want to be and that is going to transcend them way beyond New Mexico. All I have to say is, we not only need more, we want more.