Being a dad, I was turned onto Detroit alt-pop artist Deadbeatdad the way all dads are, by a friend who is younger and cooler than me sharing a link to them on Instagram.
I listened and was hooked. With sizzling vox, crunchy drums, and ravey arps, it’s exactly the kind of thing you’d listen to when going for a run to keep off the body fat (I do not do this) or when sitting at a festival campsite with a flask of bourbon (I might do this) or when dancing at an alt-pop/indie sleaze party (here for it).
With a discography going back to 2021, their newest album – What Control Feels Like – features a bevvy of bangers. Dance Track has a solid electro-house vibe with alt-pop sensibility. Heated feels like a 2010s throwback, but in a good way. And Fix Ur Everything reminds me of an indie-electro track from 2008 but without the misogyny and questionable after parties.
If this sounds like something you’d listen to live, well, you can! Deadbeatdad is one of our headlining acts at (what ulterior motive?) Trash Panda Disco! Yup, this Saturday July 11th we’re BACK at Crow Manor in Detroit (actual Detroit, suck it Hamtramck) for all of you degenerates who were too cheap to go to Electric Forest.
There will be live sets by both Deadbeatdad and Warnos (it’s their birthday!). Resident DJs Davey Valentine and Parallax will lay down bloghaus, indie sleaze, bratcore, slutdance, anarchofuzz and other genres we just make up. Dad & Uncle can’t make it because The Uncle was already called for so some guy named “Joe Vor-Tech” is doing an all vinyl set instead, which will as pretentious and insufferable as you imagine.
You can find out more about Deadbeatdad at their website and buy their music at bandcamp. To jog your memory on what it’s like to own music, here’s a freebie from them.
Deadbeatdad – Fix Ur Everything
Remember, if you don’t download your files, you’re just renting them until the dumpster fire that is private equity buys where it’s hosted and decides it’s not yours anymore.
