Dinosaur Pile-Up – I’ve Felt Better
Dinosaur Pile-Up – I’ve Felt Better
Mascot Records
Release Date: 22/08/2025
Review by Rory Bentley
8/10
The old Pandemic fucked shit up for countless bands, with some fading away entirely. I honestly thought that this was what had happened to British Power Pop band Dinosaur Pile-Up, after releasing the killer “Celebrity Mansions” in 2019. After getting decent radio play and deserved critical acclaim, their sudden disappearance felt like another casualty born of the precarious nature of being a full-time band and having their legs taken from under them by Covid restrictions. As it turns out, it was a combination of this and a horrifying, life-threatening health struggle for singer/guitarist Matt Bigland, making this follow-up a small miracle for its sheer existence.
But we don’t do favours here at Ever-Metal. You might have an inspiring story of redemption, but if your tunes don’t slap, then we’ll keep it 100 and tell you they’re bum! Fortunately, on pushing play, the massive riffing and breezy Weezer-esque chorus on ‘’bout to Lose it’ should put everyone at ease that the Dino lads have still got that special sauce. Ditto for the killer title track, which has a slacker-cool and very British level of dry understatement when describing Matt’s illness woes, again shoving those ferocious guitars to the fore.
Despite dealing heavily in snark and rough subject matter, the record always sounds like it’s being played with sunnies on and a cold beer in each hand, ‘Sick of Being Down’ is a pure earworm despite being morose as shit, and ‘Big Dogs’ and its ferocious take on celebrity culture and first hand experience of rubbing shoulders with big shot music industry twats is big dumb rocking fun on the surface.
‘My Way’ pulls on the knowingly naff nerdy rapping we heard on ‘Backfoot’ on the previous album and will either be charmingly silly or cringe-inducing. Personally, I warmed to it after initially being in the latter camp, and now it’s an album highlight for me. However, it doesn’t quite match its predecessor in hook-factor and punch, which brings me to my main criticism of the album – it doesn’t really build on “Celebrity Mansions”, which would be fine were it up to the same standard and consistency. As it is, there is a slight dip in the middle of the record, with the slightly by numbers ‘Love’s the Worst’ being the poster child for this. It’s a solid, well-written song, but lacks the quirky character found at the album’s highest points.
Despite this, though, having more of the same from a band that has long been streets ahead of their Brit Rock peers is not to be sniffed at, and this is still a very strong return from a band that never compromises on gigantic hooks and even bigger riffs. It’s great to have them back, and afternoon festival stages will be a better place with their return to the game.
‘Sick of Being Down’ Official Music Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. ‘bout to Lose It
02. I’ve Felt Better
03. Punk Kiss
04. Sick of Being Down
05. My Way
06. Big Dogs
07. Big You and Me
08. Love’s the Worst
09. Quasimodo Melonheart
10. Sunflower
11. Unfamiliar
12. I Don’t Love Nothing and Nothing Loves Me
LINKS:
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