Dollar Signs (band)
 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (May 2023) |
Dollar Signs | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Charlotte, North Carolina, United States |
| Genres | |
| Labels | Pure Noise Records, A-F Records, Possum Heart Records, Scaredy Cat Records |
| Members |
|
Dollar Signs is a punk rock band from Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The band has released four full-length records as well as several EPs.
History[edit]
Dollar Signs started as an acoustic project of Erik Button and Luke Gunn. After performing for several years in the North Carolina region, the band was joined by Dylan Wachman and Arion Chamberlain. Dylan Wachman and Erik Button would go on to create the local record label Scaredy Cat Records, which is where the band released much of their early material. In 2015, the band released their album "Yikes".[1]
After the release of "Yikes", the band changed course and started changing direction into pop punk.[2] The release of "Life is Ruff" saw the band pressing their own vinyl via their imprint Possum Heart Records. It was also the first time the band was pressed to vinyl.[3] Additionally, this was the start of the band's touring history, where they embarked on their first major United States tour, which covered the east coast and the midwest.[4]
In 2018, Dollar Signs signed to A-F Records, which saw the release of This Will Haunt Me. The record was introduced to the world by Dan Ozzi via Noisey. The lead single "Waste My Life Away" featured puppets that looked like the band members having a night in Las Vegas.[5]
Dollar Signs surprise released their EP "I Need Some Space" on Acrobat Unstable Records in early 2019. The band took the opportunity to breathe new life into older songs by re-recording them with their new lineup.
In December 2020, Dollar Signs released the song "Negative Blood" alongside their signing with Pure Noise Records.[6] In January 2021, they announced their debut record for the label, Hearts Of Gold, with a music video for the track "Bad News".[7]
Lyrical and musical style[edit]
Musically, the band has evolved out of folk punk over time and into more of a party punk sound, akin to Jeff Rosenstock and Direct Hit (band). While the band started as just a two piece, the added members and time passing added a lot of elements to their more recent songs[8]
Lyrically, the songs frantically dissect the woes of living life as a young person in the modern time. Erik has said,
"Our music is written about these transitional phases in life. Usually, when you’re in your early or mid-twenties, the transitional phases are always because you’re in between relationships or jobs or moving different places. Whereas [Hearts of Gold] is more about having all of the tools that you need to change yourself and fix yourself and then how difficult it is to change. Putting in the energy to work on yourself is extremely difficult and instead of making a record that’s like ‘oh, I went through this transformation and now I’m a great person’…it’s more about doing the hard work on yourself to hopefully become a better person and not just make the same mistakes over and over again."[9]
Discography[edit]
Studio albums
| Album | Year | Label |
|---|---|---|
| The Death of the Party | 2014 | Self Released |
| Yikes | 2015 | Death To False Hope Records |
| This Will Haunt Me | 2018 | A-F Records |
| Hearts of Gold | 2021 | Pure Noise Records |
EPs and other
| Name | Year | Label |
|---|---|---|
| The Wonder Beers (Compilation) | 2012 | Self Released |
| Life Is Ruff | 2017 | Possum Heart Records |
| I Need Some Space | 2019 | A-F Records |
References[edit]
- ^ Gentile, John (24 June 2015). "Dollar Signs: "Try Hard" (Exclusive)". punknews.org. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
- ^ Risser, Carson (12 April 2017). "Life Is Ruff, but Dollar Signs is Forever". CLTure.
- ^ Stokes, Mat (8 June 2017). "Dollar Signs – Life is Ruff: Social Anxiety, Self-Deprecation, and Forced Solitude Has Never Sounded So Catchy". The Bad Copy.
- ^ "Album Stream - Dollar Signs - Life is Ruff". New Noise Magazine.
- ^ Ozzi, Dan (5 June 2018). "What Happens in Vegas Stays in Dollar Signs' New Video". Vice. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
- ^ "50 new artists you need to hear in January". Alternative Press (Magazine). 4 January 2021.
- ^ "Dollar Signs announce new album 'Hearts of Gold'". Distorted Sound. 28 January 2021.
- ^ "Album Premiere & Interview: Dollar Signs Breakdown Their New LP 'This Will Haunt Me'". The Alternative. 11 July 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
- ^ Eisenreich, Aaron (16 March 2021). "Artist Interview: Dollar Signs Discuss 'Heart of Gold'". The Alternative. Retrieved 16 March 2021.