7/10
Deep Beep have always sounded like a band more interested in following the next bad idea than repeating the last good one, and 'Dressed By Dad' continues that tradition in useful fashion.
Arriving just months after 'Soft Honk', this new three-track release finds the Perth outfit moving away from some of the prog-rock tendencies of their previous material and towards something tighter, wirier and more immediate. Post-punk, new wave and garage-rock now sit closer to the surface, giving the release a leaner shape without sanding away the band’s sense of unpredictability.
Lead track ‘Wired’ sets that shift up well. There's more snap in the rhythm, more economy in the arrangement and a sharper sense of forward motion as it plays. The influence of bands like Interpol, Osees and Frankie & The Witch Fingers makes sense here, though Deep Beep still sound happiest when those reference points are being bent slightly out of shape.
‘Braden’s Vehicular Missteps’ and ‘Yet Another Tactical Blunder’ continue that mood with exactly the kind of titles you would expect from a band that clearly refuses to take presentation too seriously. That irreverence is part of the charm, but the music underneath it is more focused than the jokes suggest.
But what stands out most is the way 'Dressed By Dad' feels like a deliberate adjustment rather than a complete reinvention. The restless instinct remains, but the songs feel more direct, more groove-led and less inclined to disappear into extended detours.
It's also easy to hear how the band’s long history in Perth’s music scene feeds into the project. Members have spent time in acts including Tucker B’s, The Stickfigures, Umpire, Worm Farm and The Disappointed, and that accumulated experience shows in the way the songs balance looseness with control.
'Dressed By Dad' is scrappy, sharp and knowingly ridiculous in all the right places. More importantly, it suggests Deep Beep are becoming increasingly comfortable with changing direction whenever the current one starts feeling too obvious.
