We’re at about the mid-point of 2025, which has been something of a mixed bag. Some great records, but the world continues to be some kind of constantly playing meme for people that vote Reform (please don’t do that, by the way). The second full length from Diaz Brothers, ‘The World is Yours’ is here to help lessen the galling yet farcical mental burden. At least in theory.
Quick bit of info on Diaz Brothers for the uninitiated… singer Golly (HDQ, The Jones, Stokoe with Dickie Hammond [RIP] of Leatherface), Mick Jones (HDQ, Red Alert), Neil Cox (Four Letter Word, Shutdown), Max Hakius (Unified Action) and Callum Hewitt, who according to wellspring of inaccuracy that it is, Discogs, hasn’t been in a band that’s released music. Based out of Sunderland and the Midlands, which I imagine makes going praccy (band practice for the benefit of our overseas readers) a bit of a mission.
Coming a whopping 5 years since the release of their self-titled debut, which is now, impressively on it’s 4th vinyl pressing, it’s fair to say this sequel has been a long time coming. Big gaps like these between records tend to mean one of two things: either the band is struggling for quality material and it’s going to be crap (not restricted to big gaps, to be fair), OR they’ve been putting in the hard yards in order to deliver a fucking belter (see bands like Propagandhi and The Lawrence Arms for example).
The World is Yours feels like a definite step change from the self-titled record, which was a searing slab of straight forward melodic hardcore replete with the expected, raging, wailing and generalized gnashing of teeth that the average person of certain tastes tends to enjoy a great deal (think in terms of Samiam meets the first Dag Nasty LP, Can I Say, and obviously HDQ mate).
The World is Yours, whilst retaining a chunk of those key elements, feels like it’s pulling in a different direction. For some reason I’m drawn to comparisons to staples of the Revolution Summer zeitgeist that swept Washington DC around 1986, such as One Last Wish, for example. So, you get I suppose, the same levels of raw emotion delivered in a more nuanced, thoughtful kind of way, but it’s still very punk rock.
In the guitar playing and sound, I don’t feel like I would be wrong in saying certain elements of it recall the sounds that Dickie Hammond used to wring from his Gordon Smith. In other places there are elements of the unchained melodic frenzy and euphoric fuzz of Husker Du (see the closing section of Hourglass Full of Quicksand for example). In yet others, I’d kind of peg Poison Idea around Feel the Darkness or newer Portland heroes, Long Knife. But not as fast.
The flavour of the songwriting throughout has an indescribably “British punk” feeling. It’s something of, I find at least, to be a subtextual quality unique to bands of the genre that speaks to the squalid misery of living in a generally mean-spirited little island nation, where the struggle to stay afloat in a morass of socio-political refuse and working class malaise pervades your everyday life. It insinuates it’s way into your relationships with loved ones and friends, and the general way you interact with the world in general. All this against a backdrop of the only broadly affordable pubs being run by right wing fire brands (JD Wetherspoon and Samual Smith I am looking at you) and a bag of chips costs about three bastard brick. As I was saying, the underlying sound of Leatherface, Milloy, Down and Outs, Pardon Us, The Leif Ericsson, Guns n’ Wankers, The Great St Louis and so on and so forth: the ennui of post-Thatcherite ruin of towns and cities that are still broadly dying on their collective arses. I suppose overseas, you’d probably get a similar feeling from Avail or Hot Water Music or something.
The album here, as you would expect evokes and encapsulates the unique blend of heartbreak, wounded civic pride, self-deprecating navel gazing, and self-flagellation, alongside the nuanced social awareness that listeners of any bands mentioned above will understand and instantly fall in love with. Understandably, others will simply not fully get it. Anyway, that’s probably enough of me pretending to be clever.
Tony of Nurgle rating: 9/10
This was out on Friday 6th June via Serial Bowl Records in the UK and Dead Broke Rekerds in the US on a range of coloured vinyl options and CD. Please note that the vinyl versions are running a bit late due to R*c*rd St*re D*y blocking up the pressing plants, but I’m assured they’ll be arriving before the end of June with any luck.
I’ll also give a shout out to the UK tour currently happening, where Diaz Brothers are playing a couple of dates alongside Misfortune Cookie and Custody who are all the way over from Finland… I’ll be there at the Leeds the show on 12th June if you want to give us a yo. Beer donations also gratefully received.
Thu 12.6.2025 Leeds @ Wharf Chambers + Diaz Brothers & Misfortune Cookie
Fri 13.6.2025 Sunderland @ Diego’s + Diaz Brothers & Misfortune Cookie
