In 2002, L.S. Dunes vocalist Anthony Green, guitarist Frank Iero, drummer Tucker Rule, bassist Tim Payne and guitarist Travis Stever released their debut album, Past Lives, a post-hardcore, punk, boundary-pushing record which went on to top many of the records of the year lists.
A year on, the band has decided to share the demos of those boundary-pushing tracks. Recorded separately across bedrooms and garages whilst the world was stuck in a global pandemic, these versions are raw, gritty and emotionally heartfelt.
L.S. Dunes put the super in supergroup. Consisting of members of Thursday, My Chemical Romance, Coheed and Cambria and Circa Survive, Past Lives was always going to be incredible. However, hearing these songs in their infancy somehow elevates the record to a higher level of post-hardcore brilliance.
“2022” rips off the band-aid with a full-on explosion of riffs and percussion. Moulded around Green’s incredibly raw vocal, Iero drives the demo; his playing is incredibly loose, intricate, beautiful and gracious but also violent.
“Antibodies” is another punch to the gut; it smothers you and doesn’t let up throughout. Again, this demo is understandably raw, but it would easily stand up against any official release from any other band of their ilk. “Grey Veins” dives even deeper and submerges the listener in four minutes of prowess and melodies sent down from the Emo gods. “Blender”, in its demo form, rumbles along like a freight train in the middle of the night; heavy and fully loaded, it is an absolute machine of a song.
This record captures the raging drums and full-on rambling riffs throughout. For me, it is heightened on the highlight of this collection of demos, “Bombsquad”, an instrumental with Frank Iero’s delicious My Chemical worthy riffs burning into your soul; it is explosive and grandiose.
“Permanent Rebellion” delivers a bass-heavy demo that allows the haunting vocals placed alongside it to roll along nicely. You can hear how much it grew on the final version, but you can also appreciate its birth.
Lost Songs: Lines And Shapes is an absolute must for fans of L.S. Dunes and the groups the members came from. But it isn’t just for them; it should interest everyone who loves hearing the building foundations of songs and structures. This collection should be appreciated and applauded for its rawness and beauty.
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