Higher Power is the debut studio album by Dundas, Ontario rock trio The Dirty Nil — comprising guitarist and vocalist Luke Bentham, bassist Dave Nardi, and drummer Kyle Fisher — released on 26 February 2016 via Dine Alone Records. The album spans 11 tracks across approximately 27 minutes, and arrives after years of the band sharpening their sound through basement shows, cross-country touring, and a run of 7-inch singles, including releases on Fat Wreck Chords. The record earned the band a Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year in 2017, a nomination for Kerrang!'s Best International Newcomer, and placement at number two on Visions Magazine's year-end list for 2016, as well as a Metacritic score of 73/100 from critics.Sonically, Higher Power is a concentrated blast of 1990s alt-rock and noise rock influence, rooted in the band's evident love of Hüsker Dü, the Smashing Pumpkins, Dinosaur Jr., Weezer, and Archers of Loaf — with "Wrestle Yü To Hüsker Dü" making the reference explicit. Opener "No Weaknesses" and the follow-up "Zombie Eyes" lead with massive hooks and in-the-red distortion, while "Fugue State" draws on hardcore forebears and "Violent Hands" stands as another highlight in a set that rarely drops below a full-throttle roar. Pitchfork praised the album's "massive hooks," Dying Scene awarded it 4/5 stars, calling it "a curated mixtape of sonic aggression" held together by the notion that music can be a universal unifier, and Punktastic declared it "a stonewall marvel," noting that "debut full lengths have a tendency to display fragility and naivety — not on Higher Power."
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