Dead Cats Dead Rats Refresh Their Name, Sign to Ocelot Records and Get Real with "Raw" EP

DCDR's Raw EP out this November. Pre-order available now.

An uncompromising combination of 1990’s punk and grunge, and in the most effective manifestation of short bursts of adrenaline, Raw is Boston-based DCDR's best album yet.

A lot has happened in the Dead Cats Dead Rats camp as of late. The band has rebranded to DCDR, signed with local label Ocelot Records and is ready to release their 7th studio album, Raw.

Over the years, Dead Cats Dead Rats has ranged from predominantly carefree punk, to detail oriented rock, with a touch of Johnny Cash twang for good measure. Their track listing inflated from nine to eleven, and has jammed out for up to a lengthy 4:25 (“Eventually Monsters Will Win” Monsters 2010). Although a few things have stayed consistent throughout the band’s seven-year existence, including a long-running relationship with Richard Marr (Galaxy Park), a grounded sense of humility, and Reppucci’s distinctive Cobain/Armstrong drawl, DCDR has resorted back to their early unprocessed mentality, creating their most efficient and effective record to date with Raw.

"At one point last year we were all busy with life and not entirely focused on the band," Bassist Chris Wolz explains. "At this time we wrote "Cut My Teeth". The song rejuvenated our band, creativity and motivation, and I think the main factor driving this was a decision to no longer give a shit about what our songs sounded like."

Raw's tracks are tighter, shorter and faster. The economical rock and roll record plays seven songs in a mere fifteen minutes, roughly the length of a T ride from North Quincy to South Station (on a good day).

"We went to the studio and recorded everything on tape, for the most part live, in one day. We over dubbed the guitars, but all the foundation tracks were done together on the same take without really any edits, hence the album name Raw. Some bands can spend months on the details and do it very well, but with us it works better just to crank out the first initial instinct."

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As a Boston Music Awards band, DCDR represented the "Best Punk Band" in town for 2010, but in a realist point of view, Wolz says, "We are super grateful for any awards we have received and thankful for all the people who voted for us, but [the award doesn’t] prove anything about our talent or popularity. We really just need to promote our shows as best we can like any of the other 5,000 bands around here."

Catch DCDR during one of their two record release shows on November 14th at Fury's Publick House in Dover, NH with A Minor Revolution and The Digs (event details) and November 20th at TT the Bear's Cambridge with Zip-Tie Handcuffs (event details). Raw is available for pre-order now. Follow DCDR on Facebook for additional release and show information.