The Dears

Now that the Dears are one of the Canadian bands to watch, according to the likes of Rolling Stone and NME, the time is apparently right for the reissue of a very limited edition EP the band released in 2003. Protest is a three-song conceptual EP that was recorded back in 2001 that doesn’t sound exactly like the band’s more accessible pop moments that have won them such acclaim. Protest is a much darker affair, with moments that are more apocalyptic than pleasingly melodic and that might be enough to keep some people away. But fortunately the EP’s seven-minute centrepiece, "Summer of Protest,” is very good indeed. It is a bleak song that hints at the futility of the human race and its inevitable self-destruction, but with a good tune. Still, with only four songs (including an 11-minute remix that doesn’t really add much), this is more for completists than casual fans who would be better served by the band’s excellent albums instead.