The proliferation of digital music and streaming services has led to many a conversation around value. Is it fair to simply pay for a subscription service to access unlimited tunes? What price do you consider reasonable for a digital-only purchase? In a world with bonkers shipping prices, is there a particular album length you require to get the most bang for your buck?
The subjectivity of the price game is something that artists and labels must also battle with. Are multiple vinyl variants a worthwhile investment for a 20-minute album? Should we throw in bonus tracks on a physical medium to inspire a purchase? Or maybe we throw the bonus tracks on the digital to justify a higher price point that leads to more profit since we don’t have to worry about shipping or production costs? Should bands forego physical copies entirely to cut down on merch cuts that shitty venues take from them on tour?
Again, no one answer is correct, and we constantly see new ideas unfold. Hey, guess what? Thetan came at this with the most grindcore mentality I can imagine. I’ll elaborate in a moment, but first, here is some background on Dim Times. This release is a mix of songs that hit the cutting room floor, re-recorded tracks and cover songs. This release is an EP. I’m sure some of you are thinking, “Fuck a grindcore EP. The full-lengths are barely 20 minutes, so there’s no way the runtime is worth it.”
Well, here’s where Thetan pulled quite the trick. The digital version of the EP consists of six songs with a runtime of 10 minutes and sells for $5. Those six songs ply thine ears with a song that was previously unreleased (“Dim Times”), two re-recorded songs from the band’s debut album Laughed At By The Gods (“Penance” and “Collateral Damage”), one instrumental (“Departure”) and two covers (The Dwarves “Fuck You Up and Get High” and The Wipers “D7”). That information may have made you even less interested in paying $5 since it’s a real mish-mash of things rather than a blazing dose of new killer tunes.
Here’s the kicker – the CD version comes with 40 GODDAMN BONUS TRACKS!!!
And why would a band do such a thing? From their Bandcamp page:
“We decided to release this as a CD because we have nothing else available on CD except for the Kool Keith collaboration, and I’m sick of people coming to the merch table and asking if we have CDs. Fine, fucking yes we do!”
That’s right; the fans win again! We annoyed the shit out of them until they gave us something physical and they repaid us by ensuring that would be the only format we would truly want. Those extra tracks are a mix of demos, splits and all the other usual extras that a grind band would have 40 of just lying around.
Our promo copy only covered what’s available in the digital version and I would be perfectly content to spend $5 on it. The title track kicks in with a guitar tone dirtier than the room on the cover art as it riffs a little hardcore bounce. Eventually, the song puts a boot up its own ass and gets running, all while Dan Emery’s tortured scream rides somewhere between Mike IX Williams and John Brannon. What’s more this is the rare approach for the style where the bass has a potent presence.
We’re then hit with a drastic pivot as the appropriately titled “Departure” greets us with a minute of banjo played over whirring synths. Why? I don’t fucking know, but I like it. “Collateral Damage” is a 30-second throat-slitter with the perfect amount of bop in it. “Penance” ups the ante on the punk elements while blending them with just the right amount of slowed-down pummel. The two covers do their forebears justice by retaining the meat of the originals but making them dirtier and even more pissed off.
So, yes, I would definitely pay $5 for this gritty 10-minute punch to the ball bag. I’m still buying that 46-track CD instead, though.