Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Dive in the Box "Relegation Battle"

Dive in the Box
"Relegation Battle"
Violated Records
Released: March 12, 2016



The Philadelphia band Dive in the Box is inspired by their love of punk, oi, drinking and soccer (specifically the Philadelphia Union). 



"Relegation Battle" goes by quickly. You could listen to the entire CD (10 songs in 22 minutes) a few times during your typical soccer match. And while their sound definitely has a modern pogo punx influence, there are also posi-core and pop-punk (or power pop if you want to go back further) influences that smooth the sound out and make it listenable across multiple genres rather than just being street punk specific.


Not sure why they named the band Dive in the Box. Maybe it is sexual as my search in the urban dictionary suggested. I'm suspecting it is a soccer reference.

The definition of the box in soccer:

BOX: The box means the penalty area. Sometimes called the 18-yard box, to distinguish it from the goal area, which is the 6-yard box (for those with a metric turn of mind, the corresponding measurements are 16.5 meters and 5.5 meters).

As a hockey fan (having witnessed Sidney Crosby diving and crying repeatedly) and part time soccer coach, I know the definition of a "dive": an attempt by a player to gain an unfair advantage by falling to the ground and possibly feigning an injury, to appear as if a foul has been committed. Dives are often used to exaggerate the amount of contact present in a challenge. Deciding on whether a player has dived is often very subjective, and one of the most controversial aspects of the sport. 


Check out "Relegation Battle" and "Turn the Tides" for great examples of what Dive In The Box has to offer. The bandcamp page does not include one of the songs from the CD, "ะคK " (written by Leningrad), which is one of my favorites from the CD, even though I don't understand the language being used in the song!





Cheers,
Frank FOE


1 comment:

  1. Soccer players dive in the box in hopes of drawing a penalty kick. This band sounds right up my alley. I will have to check them out.

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