Formed in Liverpool in 2019, The DSM IV consist of Jade Ormesher, Pav Cummins, Gabriel Nwosu- Hope and frontman, and driving force, Guy McKnight, formerly of frenetic psychobilly punk outfit, Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster. 

The DSM IV combine pop-led synths, gloomy guitars and metallic bass hooks with McKnight’s heartfelt, at times,searing vocals. The result is a uniquely industrial sound, partly steeped in eighties nostalgia, whilst also feeling contemporary enough for McKnight to provide social commentary on present day life. 

A peak into The DSM IV’s back catalogue reveals a band whoregularly poke at competing themes, such as altruism and narcissism. Moreover, the band delve into our compulsion to consume mass media that simultaneously brings out the worst societal behaviours and desensitises others to those behaviours. The DSM’s 2023 LP, NEW AGE PARANOIA, has a chaotic freedom to it as multiple themes and musical strands are pulled together at once, imploring thought from the listener. 

Upcoming five-and-a-half-minute single, White Wolf, is a departure from the chaos of The DSM IV’s previous entries but is no less thought provoking. White Wolf begins with mellow, almost interstellar, isolated Roland organ, that paves the way for McKnight’s trademark vocals. ‘It came to be. So naturally. The state of our lives.’ The opening line is delivered such a beautiful forfeiture that it instantly gives the track a dystopian edge. 

McKnight later declares, ‘In tragedy and comedy, we play out our lives…’ which is delivered with such consideration that it leaves the listener questioning their own actions in life and ultimate mortality, as a backbeat comes in and echoes on throughout the track.

As White Wolf moves into the pre-chorus, guitars leap out andtry to drown out the keys. They drone on, thick and imposing, into the chorus where McKnight digs deep: ‘White wolf running on forever…’  

Although White Wolf’s chorus is likely to be referring to multiple competing themes, it’s hard not to imagine the obvious: a white wolf, ferocious, wise and pure of spirit roaming on forever. Perhaps there are themes of loss being delved into here, which would fit with the way the entire track feels like it’s slipping away from reality, thanks in part to that slow backbeat. 

It’s hard not to also feel there’s an element of social commentary in play here too. The track’s music video shows plastic figures playing rigidly against a backdrop of large tv screens that struggle for large parts of the song to find a clear image. This gives the track an even darker edge. Perhaps the white wolf represents the spirit inside all of us waning as we become ever subservient to screens and scroll on forever. Through this lens there’s a sinisterism to the lyrics. ‘Can’t tear my eyes from it…’ 

During the bridge McKnight pleads for someone to be hisconfidant. Meanwhile the organ and guitar seem to stretch out over his vocals and almost consume them. There’s a frenetic energy to it that is evocative of NEW AGE PARANOIA with hints of Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster. In the music video the plastic figures play in front of gravestones at this point, heightening the sense of dread. 

From the bridge, the final chorus comes round with a chilling acceptance; a feeling of slowly drifting away. As the bass and guitar fade away the keys and backbeat linger ethereally until the end. 

White Wolf was released yesterday – 13/07/24

Review by Charva Writes Stuff