Queens of the Stone Age. The Dead Weather. The Raconteurs. For those who know these bands intimately, Dean Fertita is no stranger. But to those less familiar he might need a little introducing.
Fertita has long been a prominent, yet, background figure in the American rock and hard rock scenes. An invaluable member of both QOTSA and The Dead Weather, he has also worked with Iggy Pop, The Kills, Beck amongst many others.
Until now he has been content to avoid the spotlight. But the pandemic gave him time to turn his attention to the demos he had built up over the years. The result is Tropical Gothclub, Fertita’s first solo studio album. As the catching title and artwork implies, musically it combines hard, blues rock with quirky, trippy trimmings.
Given Fertita’s proximity to Josh Homme and Jack White it’s no surprise their penchant for fuzzed guitars and spacey synths weren’t lost on Fertita. Opening track “Needles” carries itself with the seedy bar room, blues groove that are Homme and White’s specialties. “Wheels within wheels” follows with a gritty, synth led riff that evokes Era Vulgaris period QOTSA, when the Homme led troupe were sonically at their most unconventional.
However, though easy to do, it would also be unfair to dissect every track laying bare their influences from Fertita’s associates and colleagues. These are his own songs, born from his own ideas. As a statement of who Fertita is as a solo musician the album picks up steam away from the first two tracks.
“Where There Is Water” glows with warm acoustic guitars and electric piano, quickening pace into a rocking back section. “No Wonder” is armed to the teeth with distorted guitars and oozes bravado. Meanwhile, “Double Blind” is tinged with nostalgic touches of strummed acoustic chords and piano; riffs and rock may be the cornerstone of Fertita’s first effort, but he doesn’t shy away from the more personal and low key moments too.
Quietly confident, yet also restrained, Tropical Gothclub succeeds in marking Fertita as one to watch where future efforts will more confidently express his undeniable craft.
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