Why You Should Be Listening to Mr. Dinkles
The Power Punk Duo is Giving Us Sincerity in Their Songs
I first heard about the power punk duo Mr. Dinkles during my time living in Seattle. I would love to be the guy that said I saw them play live way back then, but I can’t. I did hear about the band the next day though after they ripped a set at one of my favorite neighborhood hangs the High Dive. I clearly remember one of my friends talking about their high octane gig the next day. Fast forward years later, Mr. Dinkles is on my playlist and getting a lot of well-deserved buzz across social media platforms. Their quick wit and catchy lyrics pair up well with their raucous shows that bring a feel of what old school punk was all about. They shake things up with real thought in an effort to make their observations actualization. Mr. Dinkles is punching through the norms of what music “should be” to create a sound that we need it to be.
The group features Mac Rettig on vocals and guitar and Rocco Ramos on drums and doesn’t need much more of anything. In fact, I told my 13-year-old nephew, who is an aspiring drummer, to listen to Rocco and learn his technique which controls the tempo with thrifty backbeats. Sometimes less is more and that is absolutely a good thing when it comes down to a band of two. Mr. Dinkles has that feel of The White Stripes or Twenty One Pilots, but it’s a lot of their words that are making the underground headlines. For such a young band they have their finger on the pulse of what going on and are not afraid to speak out about the atrocities that are framing our current society. That’s what punk is. And this old punk feels good about the trajectory of the youth.
Their song ‘Eat Chips and Talk Shit’ has just north of 100,000 listens but tells you a lot about the bands platform right from the opening lyrics that ask, “Do you wanna eat chips/ and talk shit/ we could hang out in a park/ and talk politics/ but only if we’re on the same side/ because fuck Republics”. The stride of sound in the song has a cadence about it that allows our singer and lyricist to drive home her point. I hear an influence of Black Flag or maybe Descendents that focus on self-deprecation and introspective storytelling. That is something that is quite clear when listening; you will get full transparency and honesty.
Their newest release gives us more of the same, and I am absolutely here for it. The single is called ‘Letter to Elon’ and this billionaire dis track is the reason we need Mr. Dinkles in our lives. Billie Eilish recently came forth at an awards banquet to say, “We’re in a time right now where the world is really, really bad and really dark and people need empathy and help more than, kind of, ever, especially in our country,” Eilish told the affluent audience that included the likes of Mark Zuckerberg. “I’d say if you have money, it would be great to use it for good things, maybe give it to some people that need it.” She went on to say that, “Love you all, but there’s a few people in here that have a lot more money than me. If you’re a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, but yeah, give your money away, shorties.”
The band has said that, “‘Letter to Elon’ is less about Elon himself, but humanity. Emphasizing to choose love and compassion over power and technology.” Mr. Dinkles furthers this theme that our high castle friends need to be pointing their wealth in a different direction. “Elon/ Get out of my phone/ stop watching my porn/ I know you get lonely, but that’s what good friends are for/ You need to calm down/ You’re running around/ with your kid on your shoulders/ So you don’t get shot down.” They directly go after his hatred of his own trans kid, the dislike of Space X and the fact that he sides with immigration policies that would’ve kept him out of the U.S. And that, ladies and gentleman, is exactly how you make the music matter. I hear people mutter things about artists like Bruce Springsteen and voice thoughts about how he “should stick to the music and not be so political”. That’s literally the dumbest shit ever. Good music comes from the heart and Mr. Dinkles is giving us their heart right now and you should be watching and listening.
‘Letter to Elon,’ was produced and mixed by Robert Adam Stevenson. The song will be featured on their upcoming five-song EP, set to be released on June 5th through their new label Futureless Records.
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