New Music: Dead Finks – Bitter Pill

Dead Finks (formed by Erin Violet and Joseph Thomas) moved from Sydney, Australia to Berlin in 2019 and they believe the change has helped them focus their creative energies. The bohemian air of Berlin certainly agrees with them, judging by Bitter Pill.

Brian Eno may have said Dead Finks Don’t Talk, but these guys make one heck of a noise! With a sound that resonates with the same sharp-focused anger as acts like The Birthday Party and Suicide, though with a glam-punk aesthetic, those bands never pulled off. ‘Anger is an energy’ sang John Lydon, and that’s something you can pick up in the lyrics and the Jah Wobble style bass line. The song represents just one facet on the band’s sound, but it’s a good one!

Talking about the wide range of styles on their current album, Joseph Thomas says: “At first I sort of thought I had ideas for several different projects that we would work on simultaneously, but eventually we realised that channelling them all into one band made the most sense and could end up sounding interesting. I have always been a fan of artists who go in a lot of different directions and maintain a sense of unpredictability, so I guess I wanted to emulate that a bit. Stuff like Dirty Beaches, Dean Blunt, Cindy Lee, John Maus…”

You can catch up with Dead Fink over on Instagram, while Bitter Pill and Dead Fink Era can also be stream on Bandcamp and Spotify. Dead Fink Era is out now via Urge Records in Australia and America, while Berlin’s Späti Palace is covering Europe and other countries.

Cover art by Patrick Doherty