Disarming, charming and sonically warm as a summer breeze, the new single Peeps With The Goods from beloved indie-folk The Dreggs draws on the pair’s trademark vivacity while also unfurling a fresh new direction as the band sit poised on the release of their debut album ‘Caught In A Reverie’, due out on Friday April 26. The Dreggs are set to celebrate their first-ever full-length via a national Australian tour this June and July.
An effervescent addition to their ever-expanding repertoire, Peeps With The Goods finds The Dreggs, aka Paddy Macrae and Zane Harris. exploring new terrain, injecting elements of airy soul and gospel alongside a treatise on life as an independent artist in the modern music industry. With inspiration from fellow Aussie indie legend Matt Corby, Peeps With The Goods was fittingly conjured with the man himself, as The Dreggs’ own Paddy Macrae explains, “Matt Corby was a huge influence for this track. We were given the opportunity to write and record with Corby and this song is the result of that collaboration. The song is about the push and pull a lot of independent artists have to confront within the music industry. It’s an anthem to those who have experienced equal parts joy and frustration with their career, but also a reminder that persevering is the only way to push through and find that ‘happy place’, whatever that might mean for them.”
Working alongside Alex Henriksson as well as Corby in the studio to bring Peeps With The Goods to life, with mastering courtesy of Paul Blakey, the latest single from The Dreggs joins recent drops Take A Little Time and Places, setting the scene for a universe of magic lying in wait on the duo’s long-awaited debut album due out this April. Building on the sturdy foundations set out by their 2018 debut EP ‘Seas Embrace’, ‘Caught In A Reverie’ is The Dreggs taking full, shimmering flight, with 12 songs set to delight, calm and charm. Opening with the breezy warmth of Peeps With The Goods, ‘Caught In A Reverie’ sonically transports you into a daydream of acoustic percolating beauty (Train Left The Station), stirring indie folk (Places), airy stomping yarns (I’m A Little Older) and bluesy bliss (Berlin), with each passing track glowing with The Dreggs’ intuitive storytelling and vibrant instrumentation.
An equally intimate and engaging journey, ‘Caught In A Reverie’ unfurls its poignant core themes in the seamless hands of Macrae and Harris, with the end result emerging as one of wonder and catharsis as well as showcasing the pair’s compelling growth and shift as songwriters.
“We are so beyond stoked to finally be releasing our debut album,” shares Macrae. “It’s been a long time coming and we are confident that people are going to take something from it. I would be lying if I said we weren’t nervous, however, as this is an introduction into a slightly different scope of our songwriting and where it will eventually take us. Some of the tracks may surprise some of our listeners but, alas, this is a journey for us as much as it is for our fans and it wouldn’t be much of an exciting one if we kept using the same equation. The album has a lot of themes of grief spread throughout. That of denial, anger, bargaining, depression and then eventually acceptance. This album is very much a personal diary, showcasing some extremely personal thoughts, feelings, and emotions with the goal to provide listeners with an individual and very raw perspective of grief without judgement. Hopefully people will listen to this album and understand a little more of how important it is that we all experience grief as individuals, and that in itself is a good thing.”
A genuine force to be reckoned with in a live setting, as anyone who attended their respective mass-singalong sets at Spilt Milk and NYE On The Hill will attest to, The Dreggs will hit the road this June and July to launch ‘Caught In A Reverie’ nationally. A band who can hold giant crowds in the palm of their hands with their irresistible wit and vulnerability, there will also be a few surprises in store for fans later this year onstage, as Macrae reveals, “It wouldn’t be a Dreggs show without a singalong and we’ve made sure there are plenty of magical moments throughout the set. One of the goals we have been working on is incorporating lot of moments where we can involve the crowd. On top of that, we are excited to be bringing the energy onstage with the addition of other band members. Don’t worry, it’ll still be Paddy and Zane, the folk duo, that we started out as, but just with some friends with us to turn it from a ‘performance’ to a ‘show’! We are also ecstatic to be a part of one of Australia’s largest and most well-known contemporary music festivals in Australia’s music history. It’s been a dream of ours for so long, and to be given the opportunity is absolutely wild.”
Kicking off 2024 as triple j Unearthed’s first feature artist for the year, The Dreggs are only just getting started as they approach the release of their debut album. But 2024 isn’t the first year of highs for the Sunshine Coast band, with the pair catapulting from the release of their debut single, Give Myself To You, back in 2017 into one of Australia’s most in-demand live acts, alongside having their debut track certified Gold in Australia in 2023. Also selling over 15,000 tickets in Australia alone last year with their largest ever headline and regional tours, and mesmerising crowds of around 10,000 with their sets at Spilt Milk Festival, The Dreggs are undeniably the hottest ticket in town, with their recently announced album release week shows selling out in 48 hours – purely off the back of an Instagram post. And it’s not just at home that The Dreggs love runs deep, with the duo also continuing to turn heads overseas, with their return to the UK and Europe this May set to deliver their biggest headline shows to date.
Peeps With The Goods is streaming now.
‘Caught In A Reverie’ is due out Friday April 26 – PRE-SAVE HERE
THE DREGGS
ALBUM LAUNCH PARTIES
FRI 26 APRIL | MIAMI MARKETTA, GOLD COAST | *SOLD OUT*
SAT 27 APRIL | KINGS BEACH TAVERN, SUNSHINE COAST | *SOLD OUT*
SUN 28 APRIL | THE TRIFFID, BRISBANE | *SOLD OUT*
WED 1 MAY | TORQUAY HOTEL, TORQUAY | *SOLD OUT*
THURS 2 MAY | NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB, MELBOURNE | *SOLD OUT*
THE DREGGS
ALBUM TOUR – AU/NZ
FRI 14 JUNE | HINDLEY STREET MUSIC HALL, ADELAIDE | ALL AGES
SAT 15 JUNE | METRO CITY, PERTH | 18+
FRI 21 JUNE | THE FORTITUDE MUSIC HALL, BRISBANE | ALL AGES
FRI 28 JUNE | ENMORE THEATRE, SYDNEY | ALL AGES
SAT 29 JUNE | THE FORUM, MELBOURNE | 18+
FRI 26 JULY | THE CHURCH, CHRISTCHURCH, NZ | 18+
SAT 27 JULY | U BAR, DUNEDIN, NZ | 18+
SUN 28 JULY | YONDER, QUEENSTOWN, NZ | 18+
THU 1 AUGUST | SAN FRAN, WELLINGTON, NZ | 18+
FRI 2 AUGUST | TUNING FORK, AUCKLAND, NZ | 18+
