Cover Feature DZ Deathrays: ‘We Were Adamant That We Had To Do A Solid Rock Record’

Photo Credit: Emma Swann

It’s fairly early on a bright Thursday morning when we are greeted by DZ Deathrays. Wandering into the studio, the duo are all long hair and leather jackets, with frontman Shane Parsons even sporting an Iron Maiden shirt. Having played at our DIY-curated gig the evening before – the second of a three-night Old Blue Last residency – the slow burn of ‘the morning after’ lingers. We have no one to blame but ourselves.

DZ Deathrays are about to become your new favourite band. The pair are Simon Ridley and Shane Parsons, two Aussies hailing from Brisbane, who infamously began their musical career by playing loudly at parties, and continuously knocking back shots of Jagermeister in their debut video. “We just wanted to make a rock record,” they nonchalantly shrug, when we ask about their forthcoming debut album ‘Bloodstreams’. Granted, it’s a simple sentiment, but from what we’ve heard so far, one that rings true.

“In Australia, there aren’t any rock bands,” begins Shane, who holds up vocal and guitar duties, in his luxurious Australian drawl. “For some reason, people seem to think that rock music is a bit cheesy. That’s probably because so many rock bands are cheesy. Over all of the years that we’ve been listening to music, that has always been the style that we’ve gone back to and really enjoyed. It’s great for everything: it’s great to drive to, it’s great to party to, it’s great to just listen to in your headphones. We were adamant that we had to do a solid rock record. We didn’t really try to make it anything other than that.”

But what DZ Deathrays seem too humble to admit is the ferocity of said rock record. Brimming with an explosive energy, the album melds together all facets of the genre – punk, metal, grunge – and spits it out in one noisy, bassy, insatiable onslaught. Following the release of two EPs – ‘Brutal Tapes’ and ‘Ruined My Life’ – their debut is made up of songs written over the last few years: “There’s songs in there that we’ve had for about two and a half years, and there’s songs in there that we’d had for a day,” explains Shane. “We wanted it to all fit in together.”

Surely though, after living with certain songs day in day out, it’s a difficult task to create a work of art from such different pieces of a puzzle? “We did change one or two songs that we’d been playing live a certain way, just to try and create more dynamics,” offers Simon, before Shane suggests a specific example. “One of the first songs we had written, we rewrote for the album in a different way that was a lot more sludgy, but then I couldn’t write lyrics to it. Every time I wrote, it just sounded like a really frustrating mess. So, we ended up recording it in the studio and taking out the guitars, before I re-recorded a whole new guitar thing over the top. It ended up being a totally different song. Completely different. That was an interesting way to do it.”

As with any self respecting rock band, the duo have spent the majority of their time on the road, whether within Australia itself, or overseas, so when it came to actually writing and recording, how did they manage to find the time? “Most of it was between tours, we’d have rehearsals and stuff. That was why it took us ages to write all of those songs. One of the songs, I wrote the riff while we were on tour, maybe at SXSW last year? I was working on the riff, but you don’t really have time on tour: it’s always pretty full on. In November, we went out to the studio, we had two weeks there. It was out in the rainforest so it was real nice. We pretty much did a song every day. Fourteen days, fourteen songs. Pushed through and it was good.

“We had done some studio stuff before, with the EPs, but most of that was done in mates’ bedrooms in a couple of afternoons. The studio that we were recording in was a guy’s house [producer Neil Coombes’], but it’s this amazing property out in the forest. It had this really relaxed vibe. To sleep, we’d just pull mattresses into the lounge room and crash under the trees. You could hear the bell birds in the morning. It was just really, really nice.” Not what you expect to hear about the recording process of such a raucous record, then, but escaping reality only seemed to aid the pair. “It’s good to get away from everything,” Simon states simply, before Shane reinforces the importance of being cut off. “That way, the only thing you’ve really got to focus on is work.”

The recording process wasn’t entirely plain sailing, with Shane entering the studio in less than tip-top condition: “I came back from tour over here and I was really sick with a whooping cough. It was terrible! So, I was really sick for the first week of doing the record and I was like, ‘s**t, with the vocals, can I handle it?!’” Luckily he was able to perform, showcasing a set of vocals that pulsate with rawness. “I kind of have a little bit of a scream going on but it’s more just me yelling. Not even that! It’s just me screaming quietly. I don’t do anything powerful.”

It’s no surprise then to learn that the way the songs sounded took more importance than the message the band wanted to provide: “We were writing demos, and we’d just record our live sessions. We’d jam in our jam room with our recorder on, and then I’d go through, take out a take, put it on the stereo and sit there singing, trying to find something that was catchy. I’d mumble something until a line came out. I’ve written some songs about stuff, but most of the time I just want something that sounds good. And I don’t really have anything in particular to say; it’s all just personal experiences, songs about friends. I don’t ever want to be pinned down to something.”

And with that sentiment comes the greatness of this band. Loud, brash and in your face, their songs are raw and powerful, yet undeniably catchy. There are no clichés or gimmicks, yet at their core they embody the essence of rock. It’s within the story of the album title – ‘Bloodstreams’ – that everything comes together. Taken from a lyric in the track ‘Teenage Kickstarts’, the name was inspired by the youthful, party-fuelled lifestyles of Mötley Crüe. Shane explains: “When I was writing the lyrics, I had just finished reading ‘The Dirt’, the Mötley Crüe autobiography. It was f**king awesome! I don’t know how they’re not dead. So, I put together some lyrics that were sort of similar. I guess ‘Teenage Kickstarts’ is [connected] to ‘Kickstart My Heart’. It’s about being eighteen and playing to 3,000 people every night. It’s that kind of pressure. Being in a band like that is pretty mental. It became about kickstarts in your bloodstreams. I liked that word, it fits the sort of thing that we’re doing.”

And with Mötley Crüe-inspired titles and Iron Maiden shirts, what do we expect them to be listening to? “When we’re on tour, we just listen to Mötley Crüe the entire time,” laughs Simon. “We listen to so much different stuff,” offers Shane, “Over the last year we’ve listened to a fair bit of rock and punk. We’ve been getting into Trash Talk, and we’re really into Pulled Apart By Horses. We love all those sorts of bands. Then Justice and stuff like that. Even like, Kurt Vile. In Australia, it’s inundated with folk bands, but we really like Kurt Vile.” But obviously, it wouldn’t be a DZ Deathrays interview if Death From Above 1979 didn’t crop up somewhere. “DFA are a pinnacle band for a lot of people,” he continues. “I reckon there are bands out there that sound a lot more like them than we do, but in no way do we ever feel like it’s an insult. We’re like, ‘s**t yeah!’ We told people the first two years of touring that we were like Death From Above and people were like, ‘Nah, you’re like The White Stripes or The Black Keys!’ And we were like, whatever. Now everyone’s like, ‘You’re like Death From Above!’”

Whilst it’s always incredible to receive those kinds of parallels, there is so much more to DZ Deathrays. In fact, listening to this record, people will soon start forgetting about the comparisons. Here is a band that’s exciting, complete with an album that you can feel pulsating through your veins. Rock, punk, dance, we’re not yet sure, but what’s indisputable is that there’s a shot of adrenaline about this duo. Our advice? Stand up and embrace those kickstarts in your bloodstreams.

DZ Deathrays’ new album ‘Bloodstreams’ will be released on 7th May via Hassle.

Taken from the May 2012 issue of DIY, available now. For more details click here.