What do you get when you throw The Birthday Party, Fields of the Nephilim, and Swans into a pot and stir? You get Portland’s Dry Wedding, and if you’re from Portland, then you’re probably familiar with them.
The whole reason I grabbed this promo was because of the mention of The Birthday Party; they’re such a wild, balls-to-the-wall part of Nick Cave’s history that name alone drew me in. The Back of Beyond is a fucking banger; it’s ridiculous how good this album is.
Right off the proverbial bat, Dry Wedding grabs you by your pathetic cerebellum with “Arrowhead”, and there’s that raucous abandon that made The Birthday Party so awesome back in the day. Chugging along with gusto, it becomes a Gothic Western number with a bit of Fields of the Nephilim flavor.
There have been setbacks in the past that might have destroyed a lesser band, but they have soldiered on. There was the pandemic and the release of The Long Erode (2020) that had the band doing shows behind glass, and then in 2023 some asshole stole their van and gear during a West Coast tour. The second album was released independently and is titled Sway (in case you were curious).
Moving on, track numero dos is “The Serpent Box” it is super upbeat, like a court jester on Meth. It jingles and jangles to a crazy Birthday Party beat. It’s wild and unhinged, and is followed by one of my favorite tracks on The Back of Beyond, “Sure as a Gun”. It’s angry, spewing vitriol and resentment, but it’s taking its time while doing so. It’s in no hurry whatsoever, a slow, meandering ode to murder.
“Blood-Red Vengeance” features some killer slide guitar and, for the most part, just exists in its own psychotic story; it’s also the shortest song on The Back of Beyond, coming in at just 1:59 minutes. Nonetheless, it leaves its bloody handprints all over the album. “One Last Strand” feels like a Punk-Western version of “Whiplash” by Metallica. It’s ridiculous fun, and it will get your ass moving. It gathers power and unleashes it until the vibrations shaking the earth have subsided. Chadwick Ferguson treats his bass like it owes him money. A vibrant, malicious track if I ever heard one.
“Moths” is haunting and triumphant, the chorus is massive, and it all swarms around your head, bouncing off and coming at you from all directions. It’s a hair raising track and I fucking love it. “Shifting Wilderness” is the last track and it fucking smokes like a wildfire in June. It’s not fast, it’s just steady sailing on black waters. This is the kind of music that is perfect for 100+ weather, dry and brutal and utterly unforgiving.
It’s safe to say that I’m all in for Dry Wedding. Albums like this are rare and I grab them when I can. The Back of Beyond is a stellar album. It’s mixing of genres and the way it grabs you from the get go are the reasons why I think you need this album in your life.
If you like Nick Cave, Fields of the Nephilim, Swans and 16 Horsepower; you will no doubt eat this album for breakfast. So run, walk, drive or fly to your nearest mom and pop record store and pick it up. You won’t be disappointed.
