Tomorrow, somewhere on the internet/your local record store, DZ Deathrays release debut album ‘Bloodstream’ after what has been a triumphant twelve month period involving film clips with Arj Barker, NME endorsements, support slots for Foo Fighters, Fucked Up and Dananananaykroyd, and a guest spot on the highly bloggable mixtape by NYC producers The KickDrums. To celebrate – Shane Parsons (guitarist/vocalist ) and Simon Ridley (drummer/vocalist) – explain the album’s influences including the unluckiest amateur DJ in Brisbane, imagined corporate Christmas parties and the synth work of PVT’s Richard Pike.
1) INTRO
Shane: This is something I really wanted to do on the record. I love something a little weird and different to try and catch people by surprise at the beginning of a record. This one came out kinda minimal and krautrock and a little electronic sounding. It’s all just my pedals with feedback running through them. I sat on the floor and just fucked around for about 10 minutes then we cut it up and layered it onto something listenable. Then I added the big ring modulator sound at the end because I love this track by Liars that uses this offensive ring modulator that scares the shit out of you when you fall asleep listening to the album with headphones on it.
2) TEENAGE KICKSTARTS
Simon: We wrote this song coming straight off the back of our very first UK tour which we did with a punk as fuck band from Brooklyn called Cerebral Ballzy. After that tour we wanted to write something harder than what we had been which ended up being this song. I think Shane had come up with one of the riffs while we were on that tour and then when we got home it kinda just came together really easily. Initially there wasn’t a very long interlude but once we had gotten into the studio and put down the tracks for it we tried doubling the length of the interlude and thought it gave it a nice obscure feeling and brought out the impact of the outro.
3) DOLLAR CHILLS
Shane: This song came from a sound I figured out with my pedals that didn’t sound anything like a guitar really. Then it switches back to straight bass and distortion which runs through most of our tracks. It’s supposed to be a fun and loose interpretation of a wealthy corporate Christmas party. To be honest I have never been to one, the only jobs I’ve had in offices was working in sterile government offices, where you can’t even have alcohol at the Christmas parties. But I like to think they get really crazy at those huge corporate ones. Note: the film clip has nothing to do with the lyrics of the song, it was just the most fun you could have making a film clip, that’s why we did it.
4) DINOMIGHT
Simon: Initially when we wrote this track we were a little unsure of it and nearly let it go. However after giving it a chance we came up with the outro which was its saving grace. Once we took it into the studio we decided to get a little experimental and try to work it around some different BPMs in the verses to add more dynamics. As soon as it starts the verse it drops right back to around 105-ish BPM, then slowly speeds back up to the original chorus BPM which from memory is around 125-ish. It took a little getting used to playing to a click but eventually we locked it down and it now saves a lot of that punch just for the chorus.
5) PLAY DEAD UNTIL YOU’RE DEAD
Shane: This is a track we have been sitting on for ages, not playing live, until we were able to record it for the album. I’m really happy with how it has come out in the end. It’s a more held back track where “less is more”, leaving room at the end for that wall of sound. This was a fun song as Richard Pike was able to add some awesome synth to the end of the track which I think really makes the song in the end, it just goes somewhere else completely. Now I just need to learn how to play it live, the timing at the end is pretty messed up for me to sing over.
6) COPS / CAPACITY
Simon: This song is one of the oldest on the record. We wrote this song about one of our friends Easty who wanted to become a DJ. The first time he tried to DJ was at a house party I had thrown and he was meant to go on straight after the bands had finished. As soon as he had started playing, the very first song, the cops showed up and cut the power. The second time he tried the venue that he was playing at wouldn’t let anyone in and said the room was at capacity but really they were just trying to close the bar. After two failed attempts he decided to stop DJ-ing…
7) BRAINS
Shane: This track was written purely for the stage. We put it together so that I could get down in the crowd with the mic and guitar and not have to touch my pedals the entire way through. It’s a build up song so it’s pretty good to open a show with and get down and sweaty with the crowd. All in all it’s just a really fun rock song, with some glitchy noise going through the whole thing. Really simple.
8) GEBBIE STREET
Simon: This is another old song which we first released on our second EP. We had a group of friends who lived in a house on Gebbie Street in Brisbane and every Friday night they would throw these parties called Gebbie Slow Burners which involved just sitting around drinking listening to slow burning disco tunes. One day Shane and I were in our band room joking around and decided to attempt writing our own slow burning disco jam. This is the result.
9) NO SLEEP
Shane: ‘No Sleep’ is a pretty old song for us. We had been playing it for a year or so before we recorded it. I guess it’s written about touring and partying every night…it’s tiresome but it’s awesome fun, so why say no? We did a bit of rearranging of the song from its original form for the record. It never used to have the chorus at the beginning but that was something Neil Coombe said would be a good idea, just jump straight into the thick of it. I love playing the outro because its a big epic rock outro – a good time to pull some shapes.
10) DEBT DEATH
Simon: This song is kinda the black sheep on the record, its just insane amount of noise and thrashing drums but with a simple dance kick underneath it all which is topped by some Liars-esque vocals during the verse (I guess it’s a verse). It’s got a bit of a Crystal Castles vibe to it but we tried to keep it brutal as well and is a fun one to play live.
11) DUMB IT DOWN
Shane: I guess ‘Dumb It Down’ is our version of a ballad. We wrote it and were just like “we are never playing this live”. It’s fun to play but really hard as I have my guitar signal cut up by a sequencer pedal and to and try stay in time to it live is kind of tricky. We will see what happens… maybe if we actually get it tight it will happen live. It would be very fun to hear that bass which is two octaves below rumble through a P.A.
12) L.A. LIGHTNING
Simon: One of my favourite riffs Shane has ever written is in this song. When we first wrote it I think it went for about 5 minutes just because we enjoyed playing the opening riff so much. Once in the studio we decided to cut it back in parts to keep the momentum up but when we play it live we still like to play the full version. Also there is a noise solo/interlude that will freak your mind (kinda like Criss Angel).
13) TRANS AM
Shane: This song is a weird one. We used to have this track called ‘Cobra Knife Fight’, it was one of the original tracks we wrote in the band. We then re-wrote it again with no lyrics for the album but made it way more sludgy, but then when we got into the studio and I couldn’t stand to listen to the riff anymore. So we recorded it as it was and Simon recorded the drums, and then I took out the guitar and re-wrote a new part that I felt was a little more uplifting and different for the album. Then I wrote some cheesy lyrics about driving a trans AM – totally obsessed with how cool these cars are since I was a kid – then we added the end from the old version to the song. In the end it was a completely new track written in the studio so we changed the name. Oh yeah and look out for the end 20 seconds after the last note. We wanted to add the sounds of a medieval battle here but instead just added this extra little song…I think it transcends.
DZ Deathrays tour nationally later in April. Dates below…
Thursday, April 12 ‘ Elsewhere, Gold Coast
Tix: $12 + BF PRESALE / $16 DOOR
Tickets available from Oztix www.oztix.com.au or 1300 762 545
Friday, April 13 ‘ The Zoo, Brisbane
Tix: $12 + BF PRESALE / $16 DOOR
Tickets available from Oztix www.oztix.com.au or 1300 762 545
Saturday, April 14 ‘ Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay
Tix: $12 + BF PRESALE / $16 DOOR
Tickets available from Oztix www.oztix.com.au or 1300 762 545
Wednesday, April 18 ‘ Beach Road Hotel, Bondi
Free Entry
Thursday, April 19 ‘ The Patch, Wollongong
Tix: $12 + BF PRESALE / $16 DOOR
Tickets available from Bigtix www.bigtix.com.au
Friday, April 20 ‘ Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Tix: $12 + BF PRESALE / $16 DOOR
Tickets available from Moshtix www.moshtix.com.au or 1300 GET TIX
Saturday, April 21 ‘ Transit Bar, Canberra
Tix: $12 + BF PRESALE / $16 DOOR
Tickets available from Moshtix www.moshtix.com.au or 1300 GET TIX
Wednesday, April 25 ‘ National Hotel, Geelong
Tix: $12 + BF PRESALE / $16 DOOR
Tickets available from Oztix www.oztix.com.au or 1300 762 545
Thursday, April 26 ‘ Karova Lounge, Ballarat
Tix: $12 + BF PRESALE / $16 DOOR
Tickets available from Oztix www.oztix.com.au or 1300 762 545
Friday, April 27 ‘ The Tote, Melbourne
Tix: $12 + BF PRESALE / $16 DOOR
Tickets available from Oztix www.oztix.com.au or 1300 762 545
Saturday, April 28 ‘ Jive, Adelaide
Tix: $12 + BF PRESALE / $16 DOOR
Tickets available from Moshtix www.moshtix.com.au or 1300 GET TIX
Thursday, May 3 ‘ Prince Of Wale, Bunbury**
Tix: $15 + BF PRESALE / $20 DOOR
Tickets available from Oztix www.oztix.com.au, 1300 762 545, Moshtix www.moshtix.com.au, 1300 GET TIX & Heatseeker www.heatseeker.com.au 08 6210 2850
Friday, May 4 ‘ Amplifier, Perth**
Tix: $15 + BF PRESALE / $20 DOOR
Tickets available from Oztix www.oztix.com.au, 1300 762 545, Moshtix www.moshtix.com.au, 1300 GET TIX & Heatseeker www.heatseeker.com.au 08 6210 2850
Saturday, May 5 ‘ Mojos, Fremantle**
Tix: $15 + BF PRESALE / $20 DOOR
Tickets available from Oztix www.oztix.com.au, 1300 762 545, Moshtix www.moshtix.com.au, 1300 GET TIX & Heatseeker www.heatseeker.com.au 08 6210 2850
**Velociraptor not appearing
