REVIEW: Dutch Criminal Record- Dutch Criminal Record EP

Nestled on the south coast between Brighton and Portsmouth, poor old Chichester is always getting overlooked musically. The recent success of Tom Odell has been the city’s only real contribution since Jonathan Ansell came second on X Factor with G4 or Preston miraculously scored a top-ten single with Ordinary Boys. So step forward Chichester born and bred Dutch Criminal Record, who are about to kick off an exciting year of touring & recording new music with the release of their biggest and best EP yet.

Having spent the last two years flicking between studying and playing gigs along the south coast Joe, Sam, Riordan and Alex have finally escaped the grip of A-Levels and are ready to make their mark. With the sun-drenched single Outside making an appearance on both regional and national BBC radio the boys have already shared a glimpse of this wonderful self-titled EP that is made for sound tracking your summer, no matter if you spend it down the beach, in a field somewhere or watching England lose on penalties again.

Bondi bay is an upbeat indie-surf number that combines the catchy-ness of Two Door Cinema Club’s debut album with the tropical vibes of Peace’s Bloodshake. Outside, which was handpicked by BBC Introducing to feature on their radio shows last month, continues in the same vein with a catchy riff and lyrics that will be easily be sung back at the stage when the boys whip it out at gigs. If you didn’t manage to catch it on the radio, check it out on the band’s SoundCloud below.

The standout moment however is when things take a slightly darker turn with the five-minute belter Painted Gold. It’s eerie intro builds into a crashing math rock track that wouldn’t be out of place on a Foals record. The EP closes with a re-recording of fan favourite Summertime. A chilled intro bursts into a bouncing, rocking ode to Brighton beach. Vocals are kept to a minimum on this predominantly instrumental track with the boys showing off their skills to round off a cracking EP.

Dutch Criminal Record release their self-titled EP on June 21 and play at The Cellars in Eastney, Portsmouth the same evening. Tickets are available here.