Gothic-laced alternative rock fused to dark pop tones, Australian-born but now LA-based Dolly Dagger has released their unapologetic and explosive single 'Tower'.
Since calling LA her home, Dolly Dagger and her angst-filled pop rock (for fans of RedHook, Future Static, and Paramore) has landed her as an official Schecter guitar artist alongside placement on multiple editorial playlists across Apple Music and Spotify.Now, inspired by a year of enduring adversity around her character, self-identity and trust, 'Tower' references the tarot card – representing growth, shedding baggage and moving onwards and upwards.
"We all have those moments in our lives where we make it out the other side of something impactful or that changes us and making it out is one thing," Dolly says, "letting it go and reclaiming your power or confidence is a whole other challenge.
"This song presented as real opportunity to vent but I didn't want to give any more power to the past so instead of repeating it negatively, it was important to me that the lyrics depicted what I did about it and how I recovered from it or how I felt pulling myself out of it not as a victim but as a victor of my own self and identity."
Who is... I'm Dolly Dagger, an alternative artist from Melbourne that also lives in Los Angeles where I write and produce with my co-writer and band mate, Jesse McInturff.
We both play guitar and produce for Dolly Dagger working out of Jesse's home studio and a couple of other rooms around town when we need something we don't have like a live drum room. As a live band we have a few amazing musicians that fill in the roles of bass and drums.
We sound like... Doom and groove is something we've landed on lately; Jesse gave a song that name and it perfectly describes us.
Our first gig was... The Satellite in Los Angeles, which has now closed down but it was one of our favourite venues to play.
When did you settle on the group's name, and was it a unanimous decision... It was up in the air for awhile. I used to run under the name Doctrin before I met Jesse, but once we started writing and releasing it felt right to change the name since we'd had a whole pandemic and most people remembered me as Dolly anyway, so we felt it was right to lean in to it.
In the studio we usually... Aim to track everything in the demo as 'keep-able' as possible. This helps retain some of the original vibes when they hit and we think that magic comes through. We also try to stay really organised with labelling and keeping takes or multiple tones, so when we get to the mix stage we have options.
If we could tour with anyone... Deftones, Phantogram, Paramore would be an incredible line-up.
Social media is... A great place to meet your people! I love talking to people online and seeing what everyone is up to; my algorithms always send me the coolest people, artists, places. It's also free, so as an artist with a limited budget it's the best place to exist and find fellow music lovers.
My favourite app at the moment is... TikTok because I learn so much, whether it's music related, fashion, food, tech, space. I find it so useful to learn about so many subjects I'm interested in from people that passionately study and share their knowledge.
To date, our most embarrassing moment was the time... When I forgot our equipment for soundcheck after bragging about how good my time management was that day. I left half of what we needed at home in peak hour traffic and there was no turning back.
I'm so diligent about being prepared, that one really took the life out of me but luckily someone was driving past my house to pick it up; so it missed soundcheck, but we had what we needed for our set.
Life on the road can be... So fun and so tiring at the same time. It's everything all at once, but I always want to do it again so that's saying something.
If you'll have us on your bill, all we ask is that our rider contains... Diet Coke, seltzer waters and outlets for phone chargers at the absolute minimum. Anything else is gravy.
The most scary scenario we've found ourselves in, was... To be honest driving to any show in the Los Angeles area is the scariest; the freeway is out of control and I see so many accidents there.
What celebrity/ famous person would you love to be spokesperson of the band... Aubrey Plaza, I think she'd keep things interesting around here.
If you had to live in a city abroad, where would you choose and why? Berlin. Based off what I know from friends it sounds like a great lifestyle and their appreciation of heavy music as well as being a great base for touring the [European] continent would be fun.
Three people you'd like to invite around for a dinner party... Hayley Williams, Adam Lazzara and Megan Fox. First of all I think it would be a great crowd and great conversation and second, I like how their minds work and selfishly I want to pick all their brains.
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us? Lasagna. It's such a versatile dish because you can make it traditional or vegan, put your own spin on it and make it in advance – chuck a side of garlic bread and salad and you're good to go.
When it comes to pets are you a lover or hater of our furry friends? Big lover! If I didn't live in a shoebox, I would have a huge farmhouse with all the pets.
No matter the expense, send me a case of... Diet Dr Pepper. My absolute go to of a beverage, but hard to source in Melbourne.
The last time I saw the inside of a gym was... Last week? If you count my garage with a few mismatched weights, a dusty exercise bike and a yoga mat? I was in there; my eyes saw the equipment as I was putting on the washing. My gym is outside, going for a walk to the coffee shop is where it's at.
What's the one chore you dislike the most? Washing the dishes, I don't have a dishwasher.
Do you have any phobias... Heights, and not for any reason of actual past trauma but I've always had dreams of falling off a cliff or hanging on to the edge of something high and being anywhere near that in real life terrifies me.
Would you ever partake in a reality show? I'd actually love to be on a cooking show, I have looked in to applying for one so maybe one day I'll actually do it.
If you could prank any of your friends, who's your target, and how are you bringing them down? The most un-fun answer ever but I have to be honest, I am a horrible pranker! I would give it away immediately and any of my friends would sniff me out so fast. It would also likely backfire and I would be the one getting pranked, that's just how it is with me.
Best local takeaway joint for a midnight feed that will leave you with a food coma? Swingers' diner if I'm in Los Angeles and I'm ordering a full breakfast with coffee and a chunk of cake. In Melbourne it HAS to be Lord Of The Fries and I'm ordering a spicy hot dog and spicy poutine, but if it's super late then I'm going to 7/11 for a sausage roll and a pink donut.
Which fictional character best describes your personality? I like to see myself as a Rosa Diaz from 'Brooklyn 99' and while I have some of her qualities I am probably more of a Schmidt from 'New Girl'.
Last show you binge-watched? 'The Bear'. Hands down, best representation of the food industry in TV in history. It gave so much anxiety but I can't wait for the next seasons!
