7/10

If there is one thing about the music scene that will be remembered in 2019, it'll be the vast number of bands creating the double album. We have had swathes of them so far this year, and after the enormous acclaim that came with their third full-length 'Bloody Lovely' last year, Australian outfit DZ Deathrays have now jumped on that bandwagon as they deliver 'Positive Rising: Part 1', not only the first of their two-part adventure but the first time we are seeing the noise-rockers as a trio.

Since their infancy, the two-piece group have remained one of the most raucous and thunderous bands working today. But after ten years together, it is clear that the Brisbane duo of Shane Parsons and Simon Ridley are ready to try something different, hence the addition of third member Lachlan Ewbank and this double album journey they are putting themselves through. But while their anthemic attitude still remains at the heart of this new collection, 'Positive Rising: Part 1' feels like a far more honed release, tidying up those raw and jagged edges to deliver a cleaner and more robust version of their formative sound.

While singles like 'In-To-It' and 'Still No Change' still capture that same ferocious aesthetic they have always looked to create, the band make deliberate efforts to shake expectations of them this time around. The opener 'Hi Everyone' feels like the beginning of a more atmospheric tone and has allowed this return to feel far more multifaceted, opening them up to new ideas that keep them from falling into the realm of being remembered as a one-trick-pony.