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At first glance it's easy to make the one-off assumption that Slingshot Dakota are some sort of Mates of State tribute act -- the male/female couple, the keyboard lead, the often cute-sounding songs all add to this. But if you dig slightly below the surface you find a band that is fully their own, even on a three-song demo CD -- with obvious influences that span the gamut of independent music.

The first track, "White Couch" dispels the fear that somehow the band will embrace that "cutesy" moniker they've unfairly gained. It has a straight-up punk drumbeat, something to be heard on one of the Bouncing Souls' burners, pushing forward a song about "sitting on a white couch" recovering from a life-changing injury. It's a quick affair, just 97 seconds long and features great vocal stylings from singer Carly. Track 2, "Michael Jordan Saved My Life" is about Jordan from Yo Man Go and features drummer Tom on vocals for a change. While his voice isn't instantly as melodic and polished as Carly's, the words are no less sincere. The song turns into a duet in the middle, with the chorus of "...and I, I feel like I'm alive" repeated a few times. It's a fantastic track, destined to become a staple in their live arsenal. In fact, the track explodes live with Tom's insane drumming and hardcore-influenced shouted vocals.

The last track needs no explanation -- it's a cover of "Waiting Room" by Fugazi. They've played this track live for some time now and on this demo it sounds great. It's not quite as fun as it live -- there's less shouting and crowd participation (obviously) -- but what is? It's easy to write off a band covering Fugazi as a gimmick but it totally works for this two-piece. Especially when looking at how both bands conduct themselves -- fiercely DIY.

This is a great teaser for those who are eagerly awaiting a followup to Their Dreams Are Dead, But Ours Are... The Golden Ghost!, one of my favorite records of last year. The tracks are solid and when played live they are even fiercer than here -- Tom's drumming has to be impossible to capture on tape and Carly's manic keyboard playing adds a lot of character. I caught them at their first show at Gilman and it was awesome; it's nice to see a band who's so happy to be making music. However, this demo CD is obviously not the best introduction to the duo -- it's an unpolished demo, not a final product. For those wanting a good way to meet them, pick up The Golden Ghost online or at a show.



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    Posted by Fuzzy on 2009-06-30 11:24:17

    When they played Gilman, they just talked about how stoked they were to be there. That's pretty much it. I'm glad they talk about other, more important things during their sets also. If they wanted to get preachy, they EASILY could've went on a rant at Gilman of all places.

    Posted by xshoutoutx on 2009-06-29 16:27:00
    My Score:

    fun band. good people.

    Posted by onegirlarmy on 2009-06-29 00:21:58

    i haven't heard this demo yet, but these two get really fucking preachy live

    Talking about a need for bands to play all ages shows and encouraging people/women to stand up against sexual assault are two common things they talk about in their live set... I fail to see how either are preachy.

    Posted by dlangl4 on 2009-06-28 18:09:01

    It's just a cat. If your idea was, "Hey, let's have a cat on the cover of our CD," you could come up with either of those covers and there wouldn't be anything wrong with that or any relation between the two decisions.

    Posted by Hey_Asshole on 2009-06-27 21:41:47

    http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41EAGZ4AV9L._SL500_AA240_. jpg

    Unfun artwork

    Posted by themagnetc on 2009-06-27 15:34:44

    looks more like they jacked a lo-fi jpeg of chesire cat to me

    Posted by themagnetc on 2009-06-27 15:34:01

    i haven't heard this demo yet, but these two get really fucking preachy live

    Posted by hamonrye on 2009-06-27 13:23:56

    blake schwarzenbach called and wants his album cover back.

    Posted by truebluebrewcrew on 2009-06-27 09:56:24

    i like this demo, its fun. I think there is some law out there that every band that doesn't sound like fugazi needs to cover waiting room, which is the only track on here i didn't like, other than that, good demo.

    Posted by Hey_Asshole on 2009-06-27 09:19:09

    (mid-90s cliche about Unfun calling and wanting it's artwork back)

    Posted by Spalmer on 2009-06-27 02:56:10

    "emotionally honest"... what the fuck does that even mean, seems like vague b.s. to somehow make relevant some shitty and grating vocals to me... typical punknews b.s.

    Posted by dlangl4 on 2009-06-26 17:08:36
    My Score:

    For a 3 song demo, this is great. Can't wait for more. The female singer has one of the best female voices I've heard yet. Or at least, it's one I like a lot. I don't know if I've heard enough to call it the "best."

    Posted by seth_uber_alles on 2009-06-26 15:49:21

    man, this is total hipster bike-riding music. pure cheese.

    Posted by eyepatchguy on 2009-06-26 14:54:07
    My Score:

    Awesome people, awesome demo.

    Posted by ifyoumakeit on 2009-06-26 13:15:24
    My Score:

    You can also download it for free here:
    http://www.ifyoumakeit.com/album/slingshot-dakota/demo-3/

    Posted by GarrettIrish on 2009-06-26 13:00:51

    Good review. I try to get people to understand that under the cutesy-ness they write and play excellent music, and are a great example for DIY bands.

    Posted by onegirlarmy on 2009-06-26 12:12:45
    My Score:

    Slingshot Dakota is more than just a cute indie pop act, and this review is spot on. Probably one of the most emotionally honest and genuine bands I've come across in a long while who also are a ton of fun to watch live... their set seriously never fails to put a smile on my face.

    Awesome demo too, I can't wait for new proper recordings.

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