THE GLOW must go on as DMA’s take a step into the future

JOHNNY Took of DMA’S made the right choice leaving his adopted home of Brunswick to return to the band’s base of Sydney.

Took went back north to co-produce girlfriend Hayley Mary’s (The Jezabels) new album at a studio near Gosford.

However not only is Melbourne again in lockdown, his band get to play actual live shows to (seated) punters at the end of July in

Sydney to support third album THE GLOW, released today.

“It reminded us how important live shows are to us as musicians,” Took says. “We need it.” The trio’s last show before lockdown was a sold out gig in London on March 6, playing to 5000 fans.

They’d also sold out a headline show at an 8000 capacity venue in Manchester, while their last UK headline tour sold over 40,000 tickets.

“It’s surreal that three guys from Sydney are cutting our teeth over there, we’re starting to get pretty good slots on bills in the UK,” Took says. “People have taken us under their wing.

Liam Gallagher had us on his arena tour last year, to get the thumbs up from him definitely helps because it’s such a passionate scene over there.”

Last year Took and Hayley Mary relocated to Edinburgh – her father is from Glasgow – for a 10 month “reset” – initially personal (“we were doing the same sh-- every weekend”) but it became musical. “I started looking at my music and production skills, wanting to understand the more electronic side of music, listening to ’90s rave bands like Chemical Brothers and Underworld, even Air – just to hear how people incorporate it into their music. I started writing Life Is a Game Of

Changing and decided we didn’t want to make the same record of jangly guitars again and again. We wanted to step it up.”

Enter producer Stuart Price, who’s worked with everyone from Kylie to the Killers, Madonna to New Order – the latter’s influence surfaced on single Life Is a Game Of Changing, deliberately chosen to demonstrate their change in sound.

“We wanted to set the tone. We’ve outgrown just being a band who record in their bedrooms, we wanted something more hi-fi. It’s taken us from just being that throwback ’90s revival Britpop band, it’s a step into the future for us.”

While Learning Alive was written for his new partner some tracks are from the vaults.

Silver is six years old, the epic Cobracaine (about kids involved in a car crash while driving to Schoolies) was written by Matt Mason in the same week as their 2014 breakthrough Delete. The album’s title track was written by Took before the band started.

“Some of the song is about chasing the glow, the chorus is about arriving at it. I haven’t completely reached it, but I’m content with where we’re at.”

THE GLOW (I OH YOU) out now. DMA’S, Factory Theatre Sydney July 30-31, August 1, On sale midday today, Ticketek