DMA'S

 
Callum Ritchie caught up Tommy O’Dell from DMA’s about their third studio album ‘The Glow’, sonic shifts and philosophies. ‘The Glow’ released 10thJuly and DMA’s are also scheduled to play an headline at LCR later this October.
 
We’re looking forward to the release of The Glow later this year. It marks a significant change in your sound; can you talk about this shift at all.
 
We definitely wanted to explore some new sounds with this record and not just rely on electric guitar to create grit and energy. Electronic and dance-based production is something we've all had a love for and experimented with early on in our demos when we first started the band, so it’s been on the cards to make a record like this from the start.  We could have released another garage rock and roll album but that’s not what we’re vibing at the moment. We are all proud of this album because sonically it gives the band way more depth and shows the other side of our musical influences. 
 
 
There’s a lot of synths and drum machines giving it much more of an electronic sound as well as a shift to something wildly different from where you started. How have the singles been received so far? 
 
On the whole it seems everyone’s really digging the new tunes. We always place huge importance on creating good melodies with honest lyrics and I think that’s what people connect with. Even if we move between rock and roll and dance music, our tunes will always be anchored by those two things and that’s what I believe should make it stand out as a DMA’S record. 

 
 
There’s a definite mix of ups and downs in terms of the mood over the tracks on this album; can you talk a bit about what went into them? 
 
With the first two albums we loved creating contrast between moody emo stuff and anthemic, triumphant sounding tunes. I can’t really explain why, I guess we just have a darker, more serious side to our songwriting. With that in mind I do think it’s cool to have a mix up on a record … there’s a song for every kind of mood. That’s something our fans like too, they can get emerged in our music whichever mood they happen to be in.
 
 
How did you decide which songs went onto this album?
 
We have a SoundCloud link of demos that’s been running since day one of the band. Every time we demo a new tune (which is constantly) we chuck it up, and when it’s time to start thinking about a new album we just go through the tunes and see which songs are feeling right. We don't really have themed albums or write songs for specific releases. For example, ‘Silver’ was written around the time of the first album but it didn't feel right to release at the time. There’s a kind of time and place for some to be recorded and, as a band, you just know if a song’s ready. 
 
 
When writing songs in this way do you lean more towards a casual stripped back start or a finished vision?
 
Most songs are written on acoustic guitar or piano, although a few songs like ‘Life is a Game of Changing’ are kind of written from the start with that production vision in mind. I think as song writers Tooky and Mason are starting to do this more often, just starting with a beat and synth sequence and seeing where it takes you. That being said, there’s something very special and organic about picking up an acoustic guitar wherever you are and penning a tune and we will never stop doing that, but it’s also cool to try new songwriting methods. I think this album really benefits from having a mix of both approaches.
 
 
The album was recorded internationally across waters; can you talk about that decision.
 
This wasn't something we set out to do, it just happened to work out like that with all the schedules and stuff, although we did always want to have a go at recording outside Australia. It was a great experience, just forgetting everything about the real world and diving into your songs.