Tropical Gothclub (Dean Fertita) Mixes The Dark & Exotic On Valiant Debut (ALBUM REVIEW)

Photo credit: Angelina Castillo

The first solo release from Dean Fertita as Tropical Gothclub is a mix of all the dark and somewhat exotic bands he has played in and supported over the years: Queens of the Stone Age, The Dead Weather, and The Raconteurs.

Fertita dove into the project wholeheartedly during the pandemic crafting the bones of the songs then, with some help from Dave Feeny, flushed out sparse demos into the full-bodied rockers presented here. The swaggering groove of “Needles” begins the album, building to a slamming, chant-filled, climax while the fuzzy distorted vocals and warbling pedal effects push it to the limit on the powerful closer “Uniform Looks”.

In between those two bookend bangers, there are a host of strong efforts, particularly the first single “Wheels Within Wheels”. A haunting loop leads into slamming drums and crunchy riffs with “ooh” vocals soaring, synths supporting electro organ runs, and a slicing guitar solo cutting through a chaotic finale; a winner all around. 

“Captivated” brings aboard classic rock influences around slinking guitar lines while “Thunder Towards You” delivers an electro-disco-inspired beat and the best vocals on the album. Lyrically and vocally Fertita doesn’t stand out as exceptional, as his talents lay more in the crafting of the tracks and his varying shades of grooving rock output. 

“Where There Is Water” is an intriguing experiment that begins in Black Sabbath ballad fashion before switching to party-fueled arena rock halfway through while both the poppy “Infernal Inside” and industrial-tinged “No Wonder” shift into very accessible pop territory. Fertita displays his Beatles influences on “Double Blind” via lyrical wordplay and tripped-out folk rock while crushing a head-bopping guitar line throughout the badass “Future To Follow” which cooks with high intensity. 

Fertita pulls from all his edgy influences fortuitously throughout this solo self-titled debut, as Tropical Gothclub shakes with an infectious buzzing energy in line with Eagles of Death Metal and Them Crooked Vultures.

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