The Dead Daisies “Drop New Single/Video

The greatest generation to ever carry rock n’ roll forward isn’t going anywhere, and if you had doubts about the legitimacy of this statement before you started listening to The Dead Daisies this fall, chances are that their new single “Bustle and Flow” directly led to a change of heart. “Bustle and Flow” does exactly what its title tells us it will and spends the better part of a few casual minutes pummeling us with just about everything this band can throw in our direction sonically, and though it’s not the first track they’ve cut worth listening to, it’s a gem of the autumn season for sure. 

For my money, the music video for this track is a testament not only to the creativity The Dead Daisies have behind their artistry but the modernity of their aesthetic, specifically as it appeals to millennial listeners interested in finding the roots of true rock this season. There are no algorithms to the way single was structured – it’s clearly something that was conceived in the heat of a passionate jam, which is more than I can say about a lot of the other high-yield rock songs I’ve had the chance to review in 2020. 

Beyond the virtuosity of the guitar parts, which is, to be fair, mild in comparison to what some might have thought it capable of being in these circumstances, there’s quite a bit of detail to the conformity of the bass and drum parts in the back half of the mix that bends the line between rock and metal without question. That’s about as close to alternative experimentation as the band gets, but even for it being a conservative step aside from the classic rock framework they’re comfortable with, it’s still something I made a note of in my casual initial sit-down with the song and its music video. 

There’s a pretty metallic feel to the melodies we find from start to finish in “Bustle and Flow,” but I’d still stop well short of calling anything overly brawny. If you come knocking on The Dead Daisies’ door for some quality rock n’ roll tunes, you need to be prepared for some volume-saturated magic delivered with as much passion as the likes of their iconic players can produce, and thus, this latest release is on par with what I’ve come to expect out of everything their brand has created to date. 

The Dead Daisies are tearing down the wall between legendary rock pride and a new era in which they can rule in this all-new single and music video, and if you’re just discovering the band for the first time this November, I think “Bustle and Flow” could be the perfect song to get you into their sound. There are still some elements of their style that I want to hear live more than I do inside of a studio, but until that opportunity is presented to me, what they’ve been up to in recent months stands as an epic compensation package. 

Mindy McCall