Fresh off the back of a cruisy European tour, DZ Deathrays are feeling relaxed and ready to roll with a new album and national tour.
“[It was] an unprecedented European holiday,” the band’s drummer Simon Ridley says. “We drank a lot of spritzers, ate a lot, it was amazing – and of course, the occasional show.”
That seems to be the done thing, to fill up on bread and cheese when you visit Europe. “It’s just the prevalent thing,” laughs Ridley. “It’s impossible not to do. But yeah, we had a great time and [we] go back next month.”
Armed with a brand-new album, 'Positive Rising: Part 1', Ridley and company will have no reason not to work off the extra kilos.
It’s a record that marks a particular focus for DZ Deathrays, one that has changed not just sonically the face of the band, but is a representation of how the group have progressed.
“It’s quite a move from the last [album] as it’s the first one with our guitarist, Lachlan [Ewbank], writing on it. There’s a lot more solos and shredding going on. We also included some saxophone – Kirsty Pickles, a friend of ours, threw down some.
“Also, Matt Caughthran from The Bronx was on there – it’s all pretty different from the comfort of the last one we did.”
By pushing themselves to see what they could do differently, DZ Deathrays have tried and tested different ways to expand their sound with the inclusion of several guest performers, a feat Ridley says means the band have satisfied their creative cravings without sacrificing DZ Deathrays traditional sound and upsetting long-time fans.
“That’s always the toughest thing when you’re releasing new music. You want to push the boundaries as artists, but you don’t want to alienate any long-time fans.
“We still have some pretty rocking tunes on there, but I think it’s nothing too off-putting for anyone who’s been on the band for a while. Some songs, it’s a bit more open for other people to jump in – more accessible is the term I’m searching for.
“At the end of the day, we loved working on this album, we loved working with those other guys, and we hope that people like it because we really do.”
DZ Deathrays have cited The Bronx as a pretty big influence on their music, so with the band’s vocalist Matt Caughtran guesting on single ‘Year Of The Dog’ he brought elements to the song other than the distinction of his vocals.
“I think when we went in with that third verse, it wasn’t too much of a change in the song and we always thought of getting someone else on there – Matt was one of the first people we thought of getting on there, just to bring that swagger to it. Man, that dude’s voice is incredible!
“We’ve been huge fans of The Bronx for years, even before we were a band. They were one of the key bands we’d always hit up when they came over to the country – it was a surreal fanboy moment.”
A few tacos and beers later and a beautiful new friendship and professional relationship was solidified.
DZ Deathrays have established several great links to fresh sounds and new collaborators with an album they have evidently poured every essence of their being into.
Now DZ Deathrays are ready to traverse Aussie roads in October and November with a national tour bringing Polish Club and VOIID along as support, bands whose sound, Ridley says, complements them well. “Musically, we’ve seen them all live and really we just want to tour with bands we like and are nice people.
“Sometimes the music doesn’t really fit but I think this lines up really well; that’s kind of it, we just want to tour with people we like and we like seeing good bands. I think we’re pretty selfish in that regard!”
'Positive Rising: Part 1' will be released 30 August.
DZ Deathrays will be trekking down the east coast over the weekend of album release opening pop-up stores in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Shane, Simon and Lachy will be hanging out at each of the pop-up stores to say g’day, take a photo or two and sign copies of their new album. All three events are free entry.
DZ Deathrays 2019 Pop-up Store Dates
Fri 30 Aug - Crowbar (Sydney)Sat 31 Aug - Lulie Tavern (Melbourne)
Sun 1 Sep - The Valley Drive-In (Brisbane)
DZ Deathrays 2019 Tour Dates
Fri 18 Oct - The Metro Theatre (Sydney)Sat 19 Oct - Manning Bar (Sydney)
Fri 25 Oct - Forum Melbourne
Sat 26 Oct - The Evelyn (Melbourne, under 18s)
Fri 1 Nov - HQ (Adelaide)
Sat 2 Nov - Astor Theatre (Perth)
Fri 8 Nov - The Tivoli Theatre (Brisbane)
Sat 9 Nov - The Zoo (Brisbane, under 18s)
