DMA'S was only ever meant to be a recording project.
Tommy O'Dell (vocals), Johnny Took (rhythm guitar) and Matt Mason (lead guitar) were playing together in other bands for 18 months before the DMA'S formed.Their hit song 'Delete' was released before they had ever played a live show. The band recalls it as a "crazy time".
Flash-forward to October last year and DMA'S shared with their Instagram followers (150k-plus) that their fourth album 'How Many Dreams?' would land in 2023 (it dropped yesterday).
Tommy was in the middle of signing "thousands" of records last month when he answered the phone to chat about their newest record. "I feel good, a lot more relaxed than previous albums and more comfortable in ourselves."
'How Many Dreams?' was recorded in London with Stuart Price (Dua Lipa, The Killers, Pet Shop Boys) and Rich Costey (Sigur Ros, Muse, Foster the People).
"As a musician, being in the studio is my favourite thing," shares Tommy. "I prefer it to touring, I'm always in a good place when recording, I think the other guys are too. It's our safe space."
An average day in the studio for DMA'S sees each member bring their talents and energy to the room. "I come and go, whereas Johnny is usually there the whole time. Mason is always trying out a thousand different instruments because he can play everything."
By making the conscious effort not to shut down each other's ideas, the three-piece focus on having fun with the music while pushing the boundaries of their already genre-defying sound.
"We had a great time but got a little rushed in the UK. Intuitively we knew the album wasn't ready so took a couple weeks break."
During the break, DMA'S brought 'How Many Dreams?' back to their home town of Sydney to complete the final touches with Konstantin Kersting (Mallrat, The Jungle Giants).
"This was our first time recording an album in two stages. Initially it sounded like a live album and that wasn't what we were going for. Two weeks with Kon brought out the dynamics and gave it that extra bit of attitude. I'm sure our fans will like it."
Reflecting on the early days of DMA'S, Tommy humbly remembers their debut show. "I never could have imagined that one day we would be touring the world. The first venue we ever played at was a motorbike café, Deus Ex Machina, for our EP launch. We were all feeling pretty nervous."
DMA'S will embark on their "largest Australian tour to date" in September and October, with a total of 18 shows scheduled across the country. "We're really excited to tour 'How Many Dreams?'.
"I love seeing our music connect with people. That's the most special thing about being in a band, seeing the effect your music can have."
The demands of being on the road can mean prioritising sleep over playing the tourist. However, this travelling trio like to soak up the culture as much as possible, often by emerging themselves in local cuisine (Pho takes first place as their favourite tour food).
With the release of 'How Many Dreams?', DMA'S return to the UK for a run of intimate performances at record stores across the country. British fans were quick to snap up tickets, with Liverpool selling out in just 30 seconds.
Their recent endeavours in Europe has included supporting the likes of Kasabian, Liam Gallagher and The Kooks. "Serge from Kasabian had some good advice. He said 'keep writing music. At the end of the day, if you stop writing music then everything else falls away.'"
At the start of March, DMA'S released the final album single: 'Something We Are Overcoming'. "We wanted to give 'Something We Are Overcoming' its own, special window and time in the limelight. It's an older song and we really love it. . . I think it has a great message."
The song's accompanying music video was filmed at DMA'S studio in Chippendale in inner-city Sydney. "I'll be honest, music videos aren't really my thing," confesses Tommy.
"When you join a band, you don't think making videos is a part of it, but it totally is. However, I really enjoyed making the music video for 'Something We Are Overcoming'. We threw a party in our studio and just turned the cameras on."
Tommy's authentic passion for music stems in part from growing up next to the Evandale Hotel. He recalls immersing himself in the live scene by regularly attending gigs from the moment he finished school – that fuelled his own desire to purse an independent music career.
"To us, being an independent band is about doing things your way and creating your own journey, not being dictated by other people.
"It's about being true to the music and those friendships within your band. Trust your own instincts and work with people that are 100 per cent committed to what you're doing. Listen to each other's opinions in the band and don't release anything you're not comfortable with.
"We're all really happy with 'How Many Dreams?'. It was a pleasure to make."
'How Many Dreams?' is available.
DMA'S 2023 Tour Dates
Fri 22 Sep - Hobart City HallSat 23 Sep - Pier Bandroom (Frankston)
Mon 25 Sep - Theatre Royal (Castlemaine)* final tickets
Wed 27 Sep - Forum Melbourne* new show
Thu 28 Sep - Forum Melbourne* sold out
Fri 29 Sep - Torquay Hotel (Torquay)* sold out
Sun 1 Oct - Hindley Street Music Hall (Adelaide)
Tue 10 Oct - The Cube (Wodonga)
Wed 11 Oct - Kambri ANU (Canberra)
Fri 13 Oct - Anita's Theatre (Wollongong)
Sat 14 Oct - Enmore Theatre (Sydney)* sold out
Sun 15 Oct - Enmore Theatre (Sydney)* new show
Fri 20 Oct - Bar On The Hill (Newcastle)
Sat 21 Oct - Hoey Moey (Coffs Harbour)
Sun 22 Oct - Kingscliff Beach Hotel (Northern Rivers)
Wed 25 Oct - The Tivoli (Brisbane)
Thu 26 Oct - Venue 114 (Sunshine Coast)
Sat 28 Oct - Tank Arts Centre (Cairns)* final tickets
