GET TO KNOW DUST
captured by CHARLIE HARDY
In 2022, Awabakal Land/Newcastle based band Dust released their first single, The Gutter. The song came as a glimmer of something new for the Aussie post-punk scene, holding great strength and skill that hasn’t been heard in a while. It really wasn’t hard to see that something major was in store for the band, and now, a year on, they have just released their debut EP et cetera, etc which is nothing short of insane. The eight songs it consists of combine to create an EP that is everything a debut should be: progressive, catchy and irresistible. The unique sound of Dust is clear, defined and ready to be devoured by the ears of many.
Having just recently signed to Kanine Records in NYC, and now being on a worldwide tour supporting none other than Hockey Dad, the guys of DUST are clearly at the start of a career set not only to fulfil their artistic desires, but those desires of the Australian audience.
The project consists of dual guitarist-vocalists Gabriel Stove and Justin Teale, bassist Liam Smith, guitarist, and saxophonist Adam Ridgway, and drummer Kye Cherry. Together, the five have perfectly curated their set list for the EP.
captured by LACHY STARLING
Their immersive opening track ‘Intro’ uses muffled voicemail messages and trance like synth to build a delusional, static sound. From there you are directly launched into ‘The Gutter’ (their first single release), featuring big drums and lording vocals. The change of pace here is my favourite part of the EP and shows that Dust demands your attention.
As the EP goes on you’re exposed to shrieking saxophone solos, throbbing bass and erratic percussion—the perfect amount of chaos. By track 4, ‘Interlude’, we see a return to the slow and immersive sound we initially heard, with the sax brought to the forefront, before again being launched into something more dramatic via ‘Ward 52’ . Regarding this track vocalist Justin Teale shares, “I wrote the lyrics to Ward 52 over 6 months while washing dishes at my parent’s café. Processing a year of health complications, I tried to encapsulate different stages and experiences during my treatment and the idea of mortality and sickness. It was my first time detailing a personal experience through lyrics, I had the melody and a rough structure floating in my head whilst working and would think about encounters and situations and make lyrics in my head.”
On a lighter note following that, ‘Joy’ a word-forward track that speaks to Australiana punk, neutralises the album to a place where we, as listeners, are able to characterise Dust and their place in our musical landscape. They bookend it all with ‘Outro’, offering us a moment to reflect on the storytelling of all that etcetera, etc is.
We’ve seen Dust around Wollongong a few times and am so excited for what’s ahead for them, this first round of release can only be the start! Read along to see our chat with the band…
captured by LACHY STARLING
There's been quite a few big announcements for you guys recently, how are you feeling about all the things lined up for 2023?
Announcements are great, we are actually happy to announce that we will soon be announcing the very big announcement! Feeling really good about the previous announcements as well.
Your first debut EP et cetera, etc. is being released in the coming days, how long has this one been in the works?
We recorded et cetera, etc. in November 2021 and it was then mixed and mastered over a few months. We probably sat on it for over a year before it was released.
How would you describe the EP as an acrostic poem?
e - ecrostic poems
t - take time but that is o
c - cay
e - every dog has its day
t - that dog had a great day
c - cheers
Who are your biggest influences as a band?
Influences: Shame, Fontaines DC, Protomartyr, Iceage, Aphex Twin, King Krule, htrk, Arse, Civic, Midnight Oil, The Garden, Fugazi.
When it comes to the songwriting process, how do you go about it. Do you write individual parts, collaborate together or something different entirely?
et cetera, etc is a revised first impression of our work as a cohort, as opposed to our previous releases ‘Stare’ and ‘No Use’ that were written prior to the band forming. The songs on the EP depict a collaborative effort and implement new sound sources in a more experimental fashion. Rough structures of the songs were brought forward to the band [first] and then further worked on as a unit that evolved over time. We’re more fulfilled by this process and aim to write more material in this way.
You're currently in Europe touring with Hockey Dad, have any of you been before? Where are you looking forward to playing the most?
We’ve been there individually but not together. It’s very exciting to have the opportunity to tour with Hockey Dad for a month, to learn and hopefully become better musicians as a result of that.
Where would you say is your dream show, where would it be and who would you have in the line up?
Antarctica. With Sigur Ros and Bliss n Eso.
Listen to et cetera, etc.
interview by: Amber-Rose Layton