Victory Is Rated, by Dark Blue

Victory Is Rated

by Dark Blue

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Vernal Trash Yet another fucking perfect album. Like every release, you really need to hear the whole thing through.

Now, come back to Toronto. Favorite track: Waterford Crystals.

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Full Digital Discography

8

releases

Get all 8 Dark Blue releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Victory Is Rated, Fight To Love, Start Of The World, Red, White + Dark Blue, Vicious Romance, Pure Reality, Just Another Night With The Boys, and Subterranean Man. , and , .

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1.	Waterford Crystals 04:11	buy track
2.	Challenge Of Death 04:14	buy track
3.	Let Me Tell You A New Story 03:40	buy track
4.	When You Leave Me In The Summer 03:32	buy track
5.	Midnight Moon 03:51	buy track
6.	She Loves Me 02:54	buy track
7.	Different World 05:39	buy track
8.	Mrs. John 04:25	buy track
9.	Looking For You 05:27	buy track

about

‘Victory Is Rated’ is the 3rd studio album from Philadelphia’s Dark Blue, following 2014’s ‘Pure Reality’ and 2017’s widely acclaimed ‘Start Of The World’. Over the course of the last half decade, the ensemble —helmed by Clockcleaner / Puerto Rico Flowers founder John Sharkey III, have walked a thin line between defiance and fatalism, often trading in the anthemic with equal doses of the sardonic and the melancholy. That all of it is increasing informed & influenced by the real goddamned world probably helps.

There’s some cruel irony in Sharkey’s (second) self-imposed exile from the USA occurring right after completing the recording of ‘Victory Is Rated’ with conspirators Andy Nelson (Ceremony), Michael Sneeringer (Strands Of Oak, Rosali) and B. David Walsh given that this is by far, Dark Blue’s most fully realized statement — in some alternative universe where this band toured consistently, they’d be way too big for this label (frankly, they already are), but really, what has America done to actually deserve their brutal honesty?

Sharkey says the album’s main themes are class war and mortality. I’m not entirely sure there are other themes (not simply on ‘Victory Is Rated’, either) , but we’re very fortunate he’s so skilled at writing about those two. He also likens the record to “if Blitz went Brit pop” and while that ticks off a couple of crucial boxes for me, let’s get something rather thorny out of the way. However many allusions you’ve seen to some subculture you either dislike or can barely be bothered to skim the surface of on a Dark Blue flyer, this is not a high (?) concept series of mannerisms disguised as a gloriously powerful rock band. Dark Blue is a gloriously powerful rock band. For all time.

credits

released February 22, 2019

Dark Blue is:
John Sharkey III - The Golden Pipes Of Delco
Andrew Mackie Nelson - Bass & Piano
Michael Sneeringer - Drums, All Of Them
B. David Walsh - Guitars

with additional support from:
Kurt Vile - Trumpet
Sara Schimeneck - Keys

Recorded & Mixed by Jeff Zeigler
Produced by 2 Young Attorneys
Mastered at Chicago Mastering Service
Design & Layout by Jeff Kardos

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about

Dark Blue Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Absolute Cunts, Proper Legends.

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