Right off the bat, starting with their first song off the album, “Timeless,” one can already tell that these guys remind you of a band that you knew back in 2006. Who is it? They have the new wave big drum sound, high fidelity vocals that remind you of something from an old Oasis or Blur album. While they are Australian natives, it can be easy for many listeners to confuse them with new era Brit-pop. Arctic Monkeys anyone? Over the past couple weeks, this band has really impressed me. During my finals week a little while ago, I stumbled upon this particular band through a random Spotify playlist. Upon the first song, I was hooked. I believe these Australian blokes have the next big X factor to take them to the next level. 

These Aussies originated from the capital of Sydney and came together around 2012 and published their first EP in 2015. The band consists of main vocalist and guitarist, Tommy O’Dell, accompanied with Matt Mason and Johnny Took. In their early days, the group started out small, recording in rotating basements around the neighborhood. With dreams of becoming part of the regular rotation of recognized Australian garage rock bands, the constantly were in their garages working. Starting out with a small Australian label IOHYOU, they eventually gravitated towards major indie label Mom+Pop. Mom+Pop includes rising indie superstars like, Courtney Barnett, Hinds, and Polica. Within months of their new signing, they published their first full length LP, Hills End.

The DMA’S have a very similar sound that replicates that of many mid 2000’s bands. Some bands like the Kooks and late 2000’s Spoon (Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga and They Want My Soul) and  resemble the type of sound that the DMA’S incorporate. As I will detail in my song to song breakdown, this band possesses a wide range of elements in each of their songs that keep the listener engaged. Songs like “Timeless” and “Lay Down” easily illustrate a high school hooky day within the last couple days before school is out of session. Heavy crashing of the drums accompanied with dream pop elements (wavy guitar) and angsty lyricism, makes it the perfect high school rebellion anthem for any adolescent. Many of the lyrics talking about messing around in the afternoon sun, provide the perfect element of a summer soundtrack that will be full of adventures. However, when Tommy and the boys want to be infectiously tranquil, they definitely can. The best example of this is through songs “Straight Dimensions,” “Step up the Morphine,” and “The Switch” are infectious garage pop tunes that wind up any day. Because of the heavy California/Coastal influence, these tracks sound like something you would play at the end of a long day surfing and getting a gnarly sunburn. Throughout this album, it is evident that these group of garage rockers turned garage pop that they can transition at any time. Starting off heavy and ending slow is the perfect album to get any weekend started.

I hope to see more from the DMA’S in the near future. Because this LP was released in late February, the Australian trio will be touring for most of the summer in their homeland and also rockin’ out at many of this summer’s biggest festivals. This group has set very high expectations that will be very hard to surpass in the future. However, with the help of the great Mom+Pop recording label, I believe their next project is going to be bigger and better than ever. Go check out their album: Hills End (2015 Mom+Pop Under Exclusive License from IOHYOU) available everywhere.

If you are also a big enthusiast on finding the latest music news on indie bands, go check out: r/indieheads on reddit. It is a great thread I use to get many of my latest updates on anything music related.

Stay Rockin’