The Dirty Skirts Strike the Match

Over the last few years, there has been a growing belief in South Africa that the quality gap between local and overseas bands has been narrowing. If you are looking for proof, look no further than the latest single from Cape Town indie rockers The Dirty Skirts.

The Dirty Skirts have been sitting on top of the indie pile for quite some time now, receiving an impressive amount of national radio play, touring to packed-out venues and headlining the best festivals SA has to offer, largely due to their breakthrough second album Daddy Don't Disco.

After releasing the single "Strike The Match," they don't seem to be suffering from the eternal curse many bands face following a hit track. The song kicks off with a fractured Bloc Party-esque drum beat and settles into an atmospheric guitar-swamped song fit for a stadium, all the while building up to the chorus which features guitarist Dave Moffat's bratty lead vocals for the first time. One of the coolest things about the song is the perfect marriage between the lyrics -- telling of the destruction of the planet -- and the instrumentation which at times feels like it's building toward an apocalypse.

Unfortunately, this single is a standalone, merely serving to whet fans' appetites for the next album to be recorded in early 2011. I've been reliably told that it will be a darker affair than their earlier output. It could just be the album that puts The Dirty Skirts in a good position to challenge indie rockers overseas.