Given how much I like the band and their two previous albums (more on that topic in the corresponding review post), I was obviously excited for the new release.
Back in May, we got the news about the upcoming album, with the intriguing-souding tracklist, so I marked September 19 in the calendar of my mind and waited while enjoying the first few singles. Naturally, they weren't just enough to quench my thirst for new Dreadnoughts-music, but they were also genuinely awesome!
When the release day came, I was away on a weekend-long trip with my friends, so I postponed listening to the whole thing because I wanted to do it properly. I knew that I was gonna write a review as well, then of course it took me more than 2 months to actually finish it, but here we are.
So without further ado, here is my recension, based on at least half a dozen times of listening to each track:
1 - Polka Pit [9/10]
Not only the first track of the lot, but also the first one that came out as a single, so its job was to set the tone and gather some hype for the album. And oh boy, did it deliver! The song is brilliant and catchy, the concept of a "polka pit" sounds awesome, and that "Katarina Witt" rhyme + the "zicke zacke" part are just the proverbial cherries on top.
P.s.: I kinda want a T-shirt with the "BLOOD, SWEAT, BEER" motto now!
2 - Dark Sleeper [7/10]
When the entire album was available in September, I listened to the tracks in order (because I'm not some barbarian, duh), so naturally, Dark Sleeper was the first "actually new" song. I opened Genius.com to see the lyrics as well, and I was surprised to see it was a mere 2 lines. Okay, so we're dealing with a(n almost) instrumental one then! I didn't even notice where those two lines are chanted until I listened to the song with headphones on. To sum it up, Dark Sleeper is a good one, and I'm thankful for the post about its conception - I never would have guessed how it got its name 😁
3 - Sierra [8.5/10]
There are first names that I just… like. Sierra is definitely one of them, so I was curious to see what this song is gonna be about - and I was not disappointed. The third track is a nice poetic ballad, and even though it doesn't have a music video (yet?), you can kinda see the whole story unfold in your head. Best part: the "bones away!" background vocals in the last verse.
4 - Tarantella Bang Boom [8.5/10]
A.k.a. the self-proclaimed "best song of the album", and I gotta admit, it's catchy AF. Also, it's always great when the song has a story, and The Dreadnoughts' tracks often serve as great opportunities for learning about historical events and/or people - in this instance, the Italian anti-fascist messenger girl Stefanina Moro. The structure of the verses might seem as a bit too complex for the average person's taste, so sadly this song is unlikely to be the next Bella Ciao, however deserving that would be.
When a last-minute addition becomes the best song on the album
5 - The Good Ship Mary Robinson [8.5/10]
One day I woke up with this song in my head and it didn't stop playing all day. (I mean after listening to the album, I'm not a visionary or anything 😅)
Not that I mind the earworm, Mary Robinson is an awesome track! Notable parts are the long outro, the callbacks to Old Maui + to the band's Foreign Skies album, also I gotta add that the Liverpool supporter in me is very fond of the "you'll never drink alone" part. That should be a slogan for something!
Oh, and don't forget to check out on Substack how this track was born - I'm grateful that the "ferrous stone" part is cleared up, I was also wondering (along with whoever added the lyrics for Genius.com) what are the words there…
6 - The I'm Gonna Fight Jim's Girlfriend Polka [6.5/10]
This is probably the quirkiest title of the entire album, and it surely caught everyone's eye when the tracklist was announced - and safe to say, the "content" matches the title's weirdness. Although, there were other strangely-titled songs that I grew to like a bit more a bit faster (looking at you, Twankidillo), this one for me somehow still belongs more to the "WTF is going on" kind of weird than the "haha this is stupid I love it" kind. (Especially the second verse about Jim's mommy.) The simplicity of the chorus on the other hand makes it a great option for concerts, and the reconciliation at the end is a nice closure to the song. (Bonus points for the 1-beat pause before one of the last "hi-ho"-s!)
Wondering how the song came to be? You know where to go by now… HERE
7 - Luang Prabang [5.5/10]
I have to admit, this track just doesn't resonate with me that much. Maybe too rough, too gory? Yeah, it does convey the message about the horrors of war - mostly in sarcastic fashion -, but it does not reach the levels of Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya, for example. Though, I gotta agree that the "dragging" rhythm of the last verse is great, as mentioned in the blog post about this song.
8 - Hungarian Dance [7/10]
I was glad when I saw the word "Hungarian", then I realized it's a famous classical piece by Brahms. What better way to bring me - who's not particularly fond of classical music - closer to it, than making an energizing "polkafied" (is that a word? it is now) version?
9 - The Torrid Brine [8.5/10]
The underrated gem of the album, hands down. Due to English not being my first language, I was not familiar with the meaning of either of the two words in the title, and I still can't get over the fact that "torrid" means "hot", it just looks/sounds like something completely different 😄 Anyway, submarines are a cool topic, the chorus is awesome, the song has a few naval and historical references, what's not to like? Look alive!
10 - Dirge (for Neomar Lander) [6/10]
Three instrumentals? Okay, I know, I know, it's a dirge, and it probably should be without vocals. (Or is it?)
At least the educational purpose of the track is spot on: I probably wouldn't have known who Neomar Lander was, and I was also surprised that the topic of the song is about something so recent.
11 - Firefly [8/10]
I would like to know what this song is about (guess it's not the famous sci-fi show 😅), because there's not much I can say other than "it's a good one". Some parts are hard to memorize, some are easy because of the repeating lines, and overall it has some Roll and Go vibes (I mean the track, not the album) - and it's not the only song that comes to my mind, as the chorus sounds a bit like Problem, and the "God can't help the state we're in" line in the first verse is a quite obvious reference to Poutine.
Overall: Polka Pit was worth waiting for, quality-wise it's a great continuation of the previous albums, it has a little bit of everything, so I'd imagine that it pleases those who like the shanty-esque direction, those who prefer the weird random tracks or getting rowdy in the mosh pit, and the history nerds as well. (Oh, what I'd give for a concert in Hungary!)
Verdict: 8/10
P.s.: By the way, the album art is not AI, not even the art for the "Polka Pit" single. The magnificent embroidered cover was made by Héléne Kardos (suspiciously Hungarian-sounding last name!)
