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DMA guitarist Johnny Took talks about new album ahead of May 23rd at 3Olympia Theater how many dreams?, Pandemic, co-songwriting and more…
Australian rock group DMA’s are dropping their long-awaited fourth studio album. how many dreams? end of this month. A musical fusion of the band’s nostalgic past and experimental future, this record is essentially made to be heard live.
After years of limited workshops and creative activity, the group leaned into everything at their disposal and created their own quintessential record.
Recorded in London and Sydney with production all-stars Rich Costey, Stuart Price and Constantine Kirsting. how many dreams? Just one of the upcoming major events for the Aussie Trio featuring Tommy O’Dell on vocals and Matt Mason and Johnny Tooke on guitars.
“This is the biggest tour we’ve ever done,” Johnny says, casually flipping a toothpick over the corner of his mouth. “It’s going to be amazing.”
of how many dreams The tour aims to travel beyond classic venues to more regional spots that the band is particularly looking forward to.
Asked about the different stages, Johnny replied, “I can’t wait.” “Some of the venues we’ve played before are country venues, different style venues, classics like this old venue in Castlemaine in this old kind of gold rush town.”
Johnny especially wants to know his home country.
‘It’s the real vibe you know – the real energy around old Victorian country towns and such. It’s a culture like life, and it’s such a big part of Australia that I’m glad it’s getting more attention.”
how many dreams? is the latest release in the band’s nearly decade-long run, following the 2020s. shine, It featured the outstanding single “Silver”. Certified gold in Australia, this track was her number 20 on her Triple J Hottest 100 for 2019.
“When the band first started, we were a bit more of a nostalgic band. The first two albums were like that,” says Johnny. shine, he felt like he was taking DMA into a more contemporary context in 2020, or whenever it was released. We learned a lot from him. ”
The coronavirus lockdown has given the group time to expand their sonic range. This is a method that might otherwise not have been possible, shine, While taking time for workshops and experiments.
“And you opened that can of sound,” says Johnny. [How Many Dreams] a little like shine 2.0, but with more tangled DNA in DMA.
“We created something new and fresh and continued to explore some of the ideas and concepts that we had seen on previous albums. … I didn’t want to make an album that caused COVID, I wanted something more hopeful than that.”
Written and produced in the midst of a pandemic, this record seeks to move away from and reflect on the turbulent times in which it was born. how many dreams is not a “COVID record” in the downtrodden sense, but, on the contrary, reflects the trio’s success and love of the craft.
“It makes you think about music differently,” Johnny ruminated after discussing the band’s growing audience.
“For example, you can have something like an extended intro of a song backed by lights and audiovisuals. You can build suspense or something. It’s much more impactful than a band playing in that room without its support.
“Especially songs like ‘How Many Dreams’ would be great,” he added. It’s the last track on the album called ‘De Carle’ and I probably won’t play it in this set, but I’m starting to incorporate it towards the end of the album run and we’ll see how it goes. I will. ”
DMA are no strangers to major festivals and have played in Leeds and Reading for years. Their next tour will take them to Pinkpop 2023 in the Netherlands and Tramlines, Truck Festival and Wye Not Festival in the UK.
“It was great to get all the new songs from the new album onto the album. [the live shows]”I feel like these songs fill in the energetic gaps in the set,” says Johnny. “Yeah, it’s in a really good location.”
Johnny always had a love for music, but never thought it would become a career for him.
“I kind of fell for it,” he recalls. “I messed around a bit in high school. Several people invited me to join the band and they opened my world to different styles of music.”
At the time, the band’s current lead vocalist, Tommy O’Dell, was the drummer. But DMA has always been an incredibly supportive group, and Tommy’s transition to vocals proves it.
Johnny speaks affectionately. The group sits together and riffs to each other when Tommy comes up with the melody for the chorus.”And he’s sitting in the back of the kit singing.” I think it’s great.”
The collaborative nature of the group remained unchanged throughout the run. The vocalist and drummer may change, but Tommy, Mason, and Johnny continue the song “Frankenstein” together, as Johnny puts it.
“Every song is written in a different way. Sometimes Mason brings most of the songs. No matter where you start it sounds like DMA in the final product because we all got it at some point and I think that’s what makes it so special right?”
When asked about expanding the band’s horizons, Johnny only looks one way. It’s a production.
“We’re bridging each other’s gaps a little bit,” Johnny says of the benefits of DMA’s collaborative process. “I think the three of us have unique talents and compliment each other.”
Johnny believes that working together gave the band a keener insight into the music-making process, giving the trio a more complete perspective than perhaps an individual producer would have.
“When we started, I came from a more traditional songwriting background. Mason was also a composer, but he was also a great lead guitarist and a great harmony singer. I came in and he’s also a great melody singer, but he was writing a different melody.
“So by the time we write a song together, it will have Tommy’s style melody in the chorus, my style in the verse, and Mason’s style in the pre-chorus. The whole song doesn’t sound the same, right? Makes the music feel more three-dimensional.
“Over the years, we’ve all worked on different aspects of the craft. With the three of us, we could pretty much cover the entire base.”
There’s a part of Johnny that I wish I had had that style of production help with when DMA started.
“I do a lot of songwriting sessions at the moment, and I’ve always found myself learning something new, whether it’s an artist or producer with more or less experience than me.
“One of the best ways to learn is to A. actually do it or B. talk about it. And that’s exactly what you do in a songwriting session.
“You might walk into the studio with someone 10 years younger than you, but they see things differently. Look, you two are learning together, and that’s really cool.I didn’t do it much when I was younger, but now I see the benefits.”
Another piece of advice Johnny hopes to give the younger version of DMA is “Write a song every day.”
“I think people sometimes wait for inspiration, but I think it’s bullshit. I think you have to find it. You can’t feel inspiration just by sitting there You’re watching TV, you don’t want to be inspired.”
“But when you sit down for five minutes and start playing some chords on the guitar, you’ll be amazed at where it leads. I was so happy that I was able to achieve my goals, and most of the time I felt pretty good after about 15 minutes. Even if it was terrible, it might have led to the best chorus I’ve ever written, and two weeks after that, I wrote the best poem I’ve ever written. What is doing is transposing them – you just Frankenstein them together.
Johnny’s main point is that DMA is always changing and adapting.
“We are still moving forward,” he says, looking ahead. “We’ve put out four albums and I feel like I’m learning more about songwriting, arranging, and music in general.”
“We like to change from record to record, so I don’t know where the next one will go, but I’m really excited about this right now and can’t wait to incorporate it into our live shows. I think it will be
DMA hits theaters March 23rd at the 3 Olympia Theater. how many dreams? will be released on March 31st.
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