Dropkick Murphys

Do or Die (Hellcat)
by Scott Hefflon

Boston Irish punk heroes,  Dropkick Murphys, release their first, much-anticipated full-length. With a smattering of 7″s, EPs, and a track on Hellcat’s Give ’em the Boot compilation beneath their belts, Dropkick Murphys are a breath of fresh air in a rapidly-homogenizing punk scene. Combining a boisterous Irish pub vibe with working class punk rock, Dropkick Murphys have a style that’ll either work or flop miserably. And the reason it works is because the Dropkicks are the real article. They’re young, hard-working, genuine, and what they lack in finesse, they compensate for in passion. While not technical virtuosos by a long stretch, the songs on Do or Die strike a universal chord in the hearts of men. They aren’t bitching about politics, they aren’t writing sappy love songs about girls who think they’re dweebs, they write about friends, and hope, and fighting alongside their peers toward a common goal. Similar to the Bouncing Souls (a fellow East coast band on the mighty Epitaph), singer Mike McCoglan believes more in capturing the feel of the song than hitting the right notes. In other words, there’s a lot of yelling going on, faltering harmonies, and aspects that must be viewed as part of the whole, not as solo parts spliced together. Similarly, the lyrics of Do or Die are great to shout along at shows, or when you have the CD blasting in your room or car, but they are rather juvenile when you sit down and read them. They’re more than words in a CD booklet, they’re broad splashes of life that, when you’re a part of the splashing process, is a feeling like no other. Spearheading the Boston punk scene, it’s hard to think of a band a city could take more pride in calling their own. And that’s much of what it comes down to – pride. Pride in your heritage, pride in your town, pride in your friends and your scene, and the flow of pride returned by the audience.