Dead 27s to release debut on April 19

Last year was a pretty good one for Charleston’s Dead 27s. After all, the band won three Charleston City Paper Music Awards: Song, Rock Band, Up-and-Coming Artist of the Year. Meanwhile, the band’s chief six-stringer Wallace Mullinax won Guitarist of the Year. Not bad. Not bad at all. However, 2014 just might be even better now that the rock band is just weeks away from releasing its debut LP, Chase Your Devils Down.

Although the album won’t hit stands until April 19, we’ve gotten hold of an advance copy, and we’re pretty pleased. Chase Your Devils Down features seven new tracks, including the lead-off single “Don’t Comfort Me,” a little of slice of Faces-by-of-the-Black-Crowes rock. Devils draws a lot from the band’s Southern rock forebears, but the Dead 27s aren’t so beholden to the past that they are afraid to try new things. Case in point: the album’s standout track, “Don’t Want to Live My Life Without You,” which somehow manages to mix Al Green with Maroon Five by way of the Drifters. It’s not quite a beach music song, but it’s not that far off. Not surprisingly, vocalist Trey Francis’ soulful voice and Mullinax’s simmering guitar are the stars of the album, although the rest of the guys in the band — Will Evans, Oliver Goldstein, Daniel Crider — do a fine job too.

The Dead 27s will play an in-store show at Monster Music and Movies on April 19. The band’s official CD release show is set for Sun. May 25.