Vancouver’s Die Job have been teasing us for months, dropping a trio of killer singles that hinted at the full scope of their “punk rock Broadway” vision. Now, with the arrival of Hazards of Occupation via Kinda Cool Records, those pieces finally click into place alongside two brand-new tracks that round out the five-song release.
Earlier singles “Thin Blue Whine”, “The One Where Cyrus Has Friends”, and “Creature of Habit” set the stage: fast, clever, and theatrically unapologetic punk anthems, equal parts bratty fun and pointed commentary. The two unreleased tracks, “Fight Music” and “Rum Sodomy & The Clash” land just as hard, hooky and layered, but with with the grit and bite that define Die Job’s sound.
As always, Die Job use their sharp wordplay as both weapon and shield. These songs tackle grief, power, and resistance, but wrap them in arrangements that bounce, twist, and keep you guessing; dynamic basslines, bursts of electric viola, gang-style harmonies, and breakdowns built for shouting along in sweaty rooms.
The result is a 15 minute ride that’s wildly catchy, satirical to the bone, and impossible to sit still to. Hazards of Occupation doesn’t just deliver on the promise of its singles, it amplifies it, proving that protest music can be cathartic, complex, and a damn good time, one of our favorite EP in a long while!
