DIAZ BROTHERS TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM ‘THE WORLD IS YOURS’ VIA SERIAL BOWL RECORDS ON JUNE 6TH
7th May 2025After many pints, miles on the national express and very few practices, Diaz Brothers are back with ‘The World Is Yours’, due June 6th via Serial Bowl Records, a follow up to their self-titled 2020 debut, which is now into its fourth re-repress on Boss Tuneage Records.
Formed from the ashes of 1980s UK Hardcore stalwarts HDQ when legendary guitarist Dickie Hammond passed too soon, Diaz Brothers are forging a sound of their own which combines melody with the meaty power of thick duelling guitars by four gnarly northerners and one southern softy, with 230 miles separating them.
Recorded at Sunderland’s legendary Bunker by emerging talent, Phil Jackson, for a band that only practices once every couple of months, ‘The World Is Yours’ is an impressively mature and accomplished set of perfectly crafted melodic punk rock, but this aint pop punk, kids. Beyond the more obvious hints of Samian, Dag Nasty et al, there are clues of more surprising influences such as The Who, The Stooges, The Ruts and prime mod revival era rock (their cover of Secret Affair’s classic ‘My World’ is a mainstay of their set and was recently released as a limited edition 7”).
The name Diaz Brothers is a line from the film ‘Scarface’ so continuing the theme, there is an infamous scene where Tony Montana (the lead role) sees an air balloon with advertising on saying ‘The World Is Yours’. The band liked the continuation of the Scarface theme, but also the sentiment. The lyrical content of the album has an underlying melancholy mixed with anger in songs such as ‘The Great British Fake Toff’ and ‘Ego’.
“Whilst the lyrics are often somewhat melancholy, we genuinely believe the world is there for everyone to make the best of it,” says guitarist Neil Cox. “Life is too short – if you want something, then go out and get it. It’s the same principle as anyone can form a band.”
Touching on a lot of themes, from mental health struggles (‘As I Tear’) to the working classes voting for charlatans like Reform (‘The Great British Fake Toff’). A particularly poignant one is ‘Hourglass Full of Quicksand’ written about caring for a parent with dementia, whilst ‘Ego’ which is about the façade of some people in the music scene.
“The songwriting process with Diaz is a bit more problematic than some bands as there is a huge distance between me and the rest of the band,” explains Neil. “We share ideas over WhatsApp pretty regularly and then get together every couple of months and jam them out. It just seems to work, and we gel together really well, not just as a band but as mates. Having a good doss is the primary aim, with a few nice tunes as a by-product!”
Whilst it might have taken five years for Diaz Brothers to follow up their acclaimed debut, this is certainly a case of quality over quantity. When the band went into the studio to start recording, they only had a few days booked, expecting to only record half of the album but once they got started, the ideas flowed quickly, and they just kept going.
“We’ve got lives to lead but when we get together it seems to work. We’re looking forward to a few great gigs this year like MPF, A tour of Germany/NL, a crazy festival in the Welsh valleys called Slugfest, Crocfest in Liverpool and supporting the instigators at the Underworld which should be special.
Two of us are in our 50s so there’s definitely life in us yet, but for now we’re excited for people to hear ‘The World Is Yours’, play some gigs and continue to meet cool people to have a pint with,” summarises Cox.
With a successful European tour under their belts in 2024, Diaz Brothers are ramping up their live presence this year and are a force to be reckoned with.
‘The World Is Yours’ track-listing:
- Be My Drug
- Hourglass Full Of Quicksand
- As I Tear
- Ego
- Anxiety Landslide
- Who Am I
- The Great British Fake Toff
- By My Side
- Departure Lounge
- Blink
Pre-order HERE:
Diaz Brothers are:
Dave Golledge – vocals
Neil Cox – guitar
Max Hakius – bass
Callum Hewitt – drums
Michael Jones – guitar
