The Dears — Gang Of Losers

With all the fervour you'd expect from a band led by the son of a preacher man, Murray Lightburn and his Dears compatriots have thrown their arms wide open with their third proper album, Gang Of Losers. That the record is called Gang Of Losers is no accident — this is music for misfits, loners, losers and pariahs. They all figure heavily in outsider anthems like "Ticket To Immortality," "Death Or Life We Want You" and "Ballad Of Human Kindness." When Lightburn wails, "You and I, we've got the same heart" over and over through the title track, you know that he's been there too. Lightburn is well aware this world is messed up. He sings it, but he also knows that if we come together — to drink, party, laugh, argue, whatever — it won't be as bad. That's probably the whole point.