You knew it was coming! With the full throttle single Be Like You and the hypnotic Solar Eyes paving the way, album #5 from Dune Rats, ‘If It Sucks, Turn It Up’ has been announced for a 9th August 2024 release via Ratbag Records / BMG.
To further whet fans appetites, the third single from the album Cheapskate is released today. It’s a song about friendships, the kind of bond that glues a band together as tightly as singer / guitarist Danny Beus, drummer BC Michaels and bassist Brett Jansch.
“Even when we are apart we still speak on the phone every day,” Danny said. “In 13 years you can become completely different people and a lot of bands dissolve because they just can’t keep that internal friendship going. Cheapskate came out of us spending a lot of time touring in the US. There’s this weird world where the rich kids from Hollywood are hanging out with the skate punks and all the kind of people we know because they have such a better time there. As you are growing up you might think having money and sick cars would be the cool thing, but really the coolest thing is hanging out with your mates at the skate park. You can’t buy that. We think the song is like the album, an eclectic smorgasbord that still sounds like Dunies,” he concluded.
The video for Cheapskate was directed and created by Brisbane based artist Tom Carroll – @egumei who shot the band on green screen then built a 3D Hollywood x 2000s punk x Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Romeo & Juliet’ world around the characters and the song. “Tom just completely nailed the vibe and the whole video just lifts the track so much! It’s kind of mind-blowing the scenes he has built from the ground up. Super fun to shoot and we are all really stoked!” The Dunies said on making the video.
‘If It Sucks, Turn It Up’ is Dune Rats most adventurous musical statement yet. It finds them evolving their sound and honing their melodic instincts across a diverse range of styles, all delivered with the energy and infectious humour that is unmistakably Dunies.
Previous single Solar Eyes is the sound of Dune Rats looking way back in the rearview mirror to some of their most earlier recordings while adapting their undeniable knack for a catchy hook. First single from the album Be Like You, a song about being unapologetically yourself, clocks in at 165 BPM and is a ready for the stage punk / pop classic.
“We wanted to make an album that throws you around a bit, like you are being washed around in the surf. We’re five albums in now so we knew it should be a record that shows all the different sides to the band.”
One of the bands inspirations for ‘If It Sucks, Turn It Up’ was listening to fellow Brisbane band Regurgitator’s 1997 classic album ‘Unit’.
Danny said: “BC had been listening to ‘Unit’, which I loved when I was a kid too. It’s an album with a lot of different styles. We realised, you can have something that’s dreamy and dancey next to a song that’s punk. What became paramount for the album was that all these songs were a little different to each other but could fit together.”
As always, Dune Rats songs take on a whole new energy live on stage. Over the last 18 months Dunies have toured the world twice over, packing rooms throughout the US, Canada, Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, Belgium, France, South Africa, Ireland, and over 30 shows in the UK. Back in Australia, the band played a slew of headline and festival gigs across the country, including a massive Splendour In The Grass set where they belted out their hit triple j Like A Version cover of The Angels‘ Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again.
With some Australian regional dates in Western Australia at the end of May, Dune Rats head back over to Europe for more shows through June / July. Rest assured though that the Dunies are cooking up something special to celebrate the release of ‘If It Sucks, Turn It Up’ for the Australian stages. But you have to wait for that!
‘If It Sucks, Turn It Up’ is a rollercoaster of good times, hard truths, 90’s nostalgia, and stoner pop fuzzy goodness. It’s the follow-up to their 2022 ARIA Australian #1 Album ‘Real Rare Whale’, their two #1 ARIA Albums ‘Hurry Up And Wait’ – 2020, ‘The Kids Will Know It’s Bullshit’ – 2017 and their self titled debut from 2014.
CHEAPSKATE IS OUT NOW
‘IF IT SUCKS, TURN IT UP’ IS RELEASED 9 AUGUST via RATBAG / BMG – PRE-ORDER / PRE-SAVE HERE
With thanks to Six Boroughs Media
