The Dirtbombs

Related Content

• Coming Soon: Screen a Garage Rock Documentary Featuring Thee Oh Sees and the Black Lips for Free
  April 1, 2011
• Outside Lands Picks Part 1: Five Ways to a Fitter You
  August 26, 2009
• Outside Lands Announces Ace Lineup: Beasties, Ween, Tom Jones, Dirtbombs, and More
  April 13, 2009
• The Dirtbombs Surround Us with Sirens
  May 14, 2008
• Video of the Day: The Younger Lovers by KUSF's Irwin Swirnoff
  January 25, 2010

More About

• The Dirtbombs
• Mick Collins
• Fin Du Monde

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Music Newsletter: Keep your thumb on the local music scene with music features, additional online music listings and show picks. We'll also send special ticket offers and music promotions available only to our Music Newsletter subscribers.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

It's getting rare to see a music career like the one the Dirtbombs have amassed. For 15-plus years, they've played a spirits-soaked strain of rock 'n' roll that would doom most bands in less than five. And in the face of current blogified brain farts — and the garage-milieu mutterings over the Dirtbombs' Wal-Mart commercial a couple of years ago — they've stayed on point with their gutter glam-bottomed, fuzz-soul explosions, adding sly layers along the way.

The group's latest, We Have You Surrounded, offers Fall-ing rhythms ("It's Not Fun Until They See You Cry," "Indivisible"), basic '60s riffs matched to some of frontman Mick Collins' most vulnerable vox ("Ever Lovin' Man"), the goofy clunker that's still funny ("Pretty Princess Day"), some smog-filled-sunset power pop ("La Fin du Monde"), and the usual exquisite taste in covers (Dead Moon's "Fire in the Western World" being tops here). Collins can still scribble keen libretti, dropping proud lowlife observations like "We'll squeeze the juice from cellphones and we'll smear it on our faces." If it's true that the Dirtbombs' frequent touring and band member shifts have perhaps engendered less excitement over the announcement of another CD, We Have You Surrounded shows the band is none the worse for wear, and, most importantly, still sounds exciting.