Nuthin Butt Blue Skies

Die! Die! Die!'s Promises, Promises

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2008 AT 4 A.M.

BY DON ALLRED

Die! Die! Die!

Promises, Promises (SAF)

"So much for blue skies! What about the future!" Thus New Zealand's young punk trio Die! Die! Die! yap past a preacher's "You must believe!" They aren't really asking---by this point it's clear: they know what they know, no need to argue or agree---and even Die! Die! Die!, with their shrieky little name and shrieky little songs (tattooing ear canals), sound like they find themselves feeling better, after this latest outburst, pausing just long enough to explain, quite reasonably, "Well sir, this winter, I cannot believe."

"Blue Skies" is the last stop on Die! Die! Die!'s second album, Promises, Promises. The Steve Albini–recorded, self-titled 2006 debut's flying shards of impulsive/compulsive encounters were caught by walls thrown up, tracks tightened till they imploded: 10 songs, in just over 20 minutes. But now, all through this Shayne (of Straitjacket Fits) Carter production, walls are pushed out as inner space-junk expands; shards reappear as pieces of blue skies. Breathing room is found, yes, though Andrew Wilson's shattered, scattered voice and guitar are seeds that the eloquent guts of Lachlan Anderson's bass will never digest very easily, while drummer Michael Prain's Keith Moon-schooled soloing-as-accompaniment hairline fractures today's glazed maze, where Wilson and "You!" grapple in reflective gear.

Die! Die! Die! play the Music Hall of Williamsburg March 29 and Highline Ballroom March 30.