Singles

The Death Set - MFDS EP

Tom Blackburn 03/03/2008

Rating: 3.5/5

Think of all the things you could do in six minutes. You could have a quick blast on Pro Evo. You could nip to the corner shop for a packet of Rizla, and back again. You could even read a quarter of a Paul Morley article if you were feeling particularly masochistic. Infinitely more enjoyable, though, is MFDS, the debut EP from Australian-via-Baltimore outfit The Death Set.

Cramming a veritable shitload of ideas into a four-song rollercoaster ride, the Baltimore duo's everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink dance-punk will suit fans of Gay Against You, Cutting Pink with Knives and early Mae Shi to a T. 'Negative Thinking' is about as close as The Death Set sail to 'accessible', channelling the spirit of Devo into a hyperactive two minutes of joyous electro-pop.


Even that feels positively epic compared to 'Intermission', a tongue-in-cheek blast of cacophonic noise and profanity solely concerned with singing the praises of 'the MotherFuckinDeathSet', so if you wondered about the origins of the EP's title, wonder no further. 'Heard It All Before', meanwhile, is a similarly frenetic and irreverent noise-pop slap in the chops.


Despite being of such economical length, MFDS fits more ideas and entertainment into its six minutes than the likes of Joe Lean will in their entire careers. It remains to be seen how their forthcoming full-length, Worldwide, will maintain this momentum, but MFDS displays serious promise and is good, filthy fun.

Watch a video here.

Release date: 11/02/08