Does it Offend you, Yeah?

Genre dance Publisher Virgin Records External Links Does it Offend you, Yeah? Website

When it comes to British dance music, You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into...sometimes. The first full length record from Does it Offend You, Yeah? is three parts mix of electronic, punk, and dance music. Consisting of a guitar, two part synth, bass, drums and many vocalists, You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into is a powerhouse album that can be compared to something from Daft Punk or Digitalism. Most importantly, No Idea's 10 songs and 38 minutes through Virgin Records might be just enough time to decide whether or not it really offends you.

'With A Heavy Heart (I regret to inform you)' is probably the album's most underrated song. It's a gritty take on a stylistic sass that is filled with swoops, twists, and a catchy melody. Steering clear of anything prototypical, Does it Offend you, Yeah? gets their hands full with a uniquely digital sound that explodes like live music. One of the album's singles, 'We are Rockstars' is more dance oriented. There is nothing about this song that distinguishes it from other music like it; because of this, I found it to be rather repetitive and contradictory (Rockstars do not perform dance music, the perform rock music). 'Dawn of the Dead' is a much better song that 'We Are Rockstars', which makes me wonder why 'Rockstars' was chosen as a single. '...Dead' straddles a delicate balance of synthetic and acoustic sounds nicely without debasing the pop melody which carries the song.

'Lets Make Out' is another single from You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into and it's a much better selection that 'We Are Rockstars'. A nifty auditory assault, there is cleverness in places you will least expect it and enough melody to stay enthusiastic. It's a rambunctious song by any interpretation but readily acceptable. Sliding my way slowly through the rest of the album's tracks, I give 'Epic Last Song' two thumbs up. It serves to fortify the bands' ability to create an honest melody via strong undertones of nostalgia. The guitar work here is blended well with the rest of the music and the beat is reliably static. 'Epic Last Song' even features a pseudo-guitar solo that is more or less the work of an intermediate professional but nicely done nonetheless.

The debut album for Does it Offend You, Yeah? is a fresh stab at British electro rock with a pop spin. Although You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into is not the work of genius, it's definitely better than a lot of other things I've heard from this genre.