Dad Djokes - Ask Your Mother

Dad Djokes

Ask Your Mother
self-released; 2016

4.0 out of 5

By William Morrow

I can always appreciate a good pun, so when I saw I was assigned to review an EP called Ask Your Mother by a band called Dad Djokes, I was heavily amused, and, quite honestly, excited to take on the project. Already having some sort of idea regarding the type of music that Dad Djokes would be supplying, I sat down and braced myself for the potentially thunderous music that was about blast me out through my headphones.

​To my pleasant surprise, I was supplied with a beautifully dense EP filled with dark, spacey melodies and thick, heavy guitar riffs and progressions. Although prog-rock was never something I was particularly drawn to, I feel that listening to Ask Your Mother gave me a renewed perspective of the genre, and for that I am thankful. Although the EP is relatively short at just 20 minutes, there’s a lot going on in Ask Your Mother, as it is both technically complex and quite catchy— however, I will do my best to touch upon the things that stood out most to me. 

Firstly, this was the first rock-related instrumental music I have listened to in a long time. As someone who predominantly consumes alternative rock (a vocal-heavy genre) or IDM/Techno, I usually fall on either the rock with vocals side or the electronically instrumental side. As such, I was expecting to miss the presence of vocals— I was taken by he surprise when I found myself missing nothing. I really do feel that Dad Djokes fills out all of the space that needs to be filled, and does so in a way that is not too busy or messy.

Following this, I really appreciate how they were able to construct such lovely melodies with just a few instruments. Considering it is prog-rock, the odd time signatures come with the territory, but Dad Djokes makes them feel exceptionally natural and never awkward. Additionally, the way the band is able to play together so cohesively is very impressive, and, although they are a new group, they sound like they have been playing together for years.

The music sounds professional; whether it be audio quality, song-writing, or both, Ask Your Mother is extremely easy to listen to. However, despite this, it is not musically simple by any means. On the contrary, the melodies are highly intricate with consistent intermingling guitar parts and bass lines galore. Dad Djokes does a very nice job of making it sound like there are far more instruments than are actually there, and that is a skill in its own. 

Perhaps the best thing about this album is the balance between dark, progressive rock and delicate, spacey patterns developed by the guitar and bass and filled out with the drums. This allows some room for the EP to breathe in between the louder, more raucous sections of music. Again, the transitions between these parts are seamless and sound like they were executed with ease. The final song on the album, ironically titled “Acapella,” does a wonderful job illustrating this, as it demonstrates both of the band’s sides very well. 

I hope Dad Djokes sees success with this release— you can tell they put a lot of effort into it, and the quality shows. If melodic, progressive rock is your thing, or if you are like me and are just open to try new sounds and approaches, I highly suggest you check out Ask Your Mother.

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