Single Slam: Dustland Express – Trailblazer (Self Released)

In August 2017, the experimental hard rock South African band, Dustland Express released their new album, The Question, Sir, is Why?

Taken from our review:

“A truly stunning album that is simply so unique & clever but also incredibly catchy & fun. It leaves you feeling ten-feet tall. How impressive is that? One of the best albums of the year.”

You can read our full review here but to give you even more of an idea of just how great an album it was number 2 in my (Carl) top 50 albums of 2017.

Well, they are back with a brand-new song called ‘Trailblazer’ which is a previously unreleased B-Side from before the days of The Question, Sir, is Why?

Keep that in mind as if you’re hoping for more of what we got with that album (such as the huge vocal harmonising) you might come away a bit disappointed.

Coming in at just over 4 minutes long, Trailblazer leans heavily towards the more pop-rock side of The Dustland Express’ sound with an upbeat pace and catchy chorus. The experimental edge that is found on the album isn’t as present here but it is layered with some clever oddities that perk the ears up.

It’s a bouncy number that is just lacking a killer hook if I’m honest. It has all the hallmarks of a B-Side, solid but not able to hold its own with the A-tracks that were released on the full album last year.

That’s not to say it is bad. Even an ‘alright’ Dustland Express track is far superior to much of what bands in their style and genre are putting out. It’s a decent stop-gap as we await a new album or EP.