It’s hard to remember the last time a rock song came out and absolutely shredded my expectations, making the genre proud beyond belief — a quick search has brought names such as Machine Gun Kelly, Ed Sheeran, and Imagine Dragons to my attention and no offense to any of those acts, but they aren’t releasing any music that could melt a face or two — even the reunion act of blink-182 leaves a lot to be desired. Thankfully, one such modern rock act that has been scratching my rock music itch is none other than The Dead Daisies, and their latest single “Born To Fly” is just what the doctor ordered.
“Born To Fly” finds itself focusing on the overwhelming love for flying fighter jets that The Dead Daises’ guitarist David Lowy has — the music video is centered entirely around this fact, with Lowy front and center for several shots, and the adrenaline boost from the realization that Lowy is actually flying the jet kicks “Born To Fly” into a higher gear from the jump. The single opens with a chugging drum-centered intro that feels straight out of ‘80s hair metal before the drums drop out and show off the crystal clear guitar work, isolated for a few seconds. The Dead Daises have clearly been hard at work, as fans know; on top of a US and UK tour, the band has also recently released their own mobile game, and with their new tour “Born To Fly” has finally released as a single (fan heard it on Radiance earlier this year.)
It’s always a great feeling when you can tell that a band is deeply invested in their material, and The Dead Daises are a group that has never felt half-hearted. Positioning their new single as a tribute to the legendary David Lowy is the icing on the cake, but the entire track finds the group at their best musically. Glenn Hughes has settled into the role of the lead singer over the past three years pretty flawlessly, and his presence on the single is worthy of applause. There’s an immaculate artistic knack bursting from all angles of “Born To Fly,” and the single transports fans back to the days of stadium rock ’n’ roll.
Of the track, Lowy says “Doug & I got together in New York earlier in the year and worked on a riff that I had written previously. Doug had a chorus that just fitted, we messed around with the melody and came up with the name ‘Born To Fly’. This is a straight-up rock song. For me it’s literal, I was born to fly. However, we’re all born to fly in our own way.” Coming out in the same era and with the same gusto as Top Gun: Maverick, “Born To Fly” showcases the brawn and brass needed to actually get up in a fighter jet and do it. Not everyone can, but there’s always something out there for everyone, even if it’s not getting into dogfights with fighter jets. After all, not everyone is born to fly, but David Lowy has shown that he was!
Mindy McCall
