Fresh faces in rock are always easy to underestimate, but that only makes being gripped by the brashy, euphoric adrenaline of Shell of a Man by Soul Dive all the more exhilarating. Hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the four-piece began where a lot of great rock bands do: in a garage, with loud guitars, raw vocals and a shared hunger to make music that actually makes you feel something.
So, imagine if the New York Dolls came onto the scene 20 years later and experimented with punk-riled slacker indie rock, then give that parallel sonic universe the melodic pull of 00s rock in the vein of Semisonic and The Calling, and you would end up with the infectiously authentic emotive pull and panache of Shell of a Man.
Rather than splicing together all the juiciest parts from the annals of rock, indie and punk in an attempt to create a Frankenstein’s monster of hook-rife rancour, Soul Dive organically make their music feel greater than the sum of its parts by the sheer will of their unfeigned imagination.
There is a wild current in the performance, as though you can feel the friction of Luca’s commanding vocals, Cristiano’s driving guitar, Santino’s rhythm and keys, and Rylan’s deep bass grooves pushing the track forward and rubbing against their determination to hook you into the momentum of their lyricism.
With influences spanning Pearl Jam, Green Day, The Black Keys, Radiohead, Audioslave, Metallica and Pink Floyd, Soul Dive are already naturally hungry for rooms as big as their sound.
Shell of a Man is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
