DMA’s are an Australian three-piece rock band who have built a tremendous fanbase in the UK and Australia since releasing their last album, For Now. Their new record, The Glow was recorded last year in West Hollywood and London studio sessions with Grammy-winning producer Stuart Price. This upscaled production was a first for DMA’s, who recorded much of their first record Hills End at home. With Stuart’s inspiring experience in electronic music, DMA’s are ready to branch out even further with the release of their highly anticipated third album.
The album opener Never Before followed by The Glow nicely sets the tone for the album – an exciting blend of the guitar-driven DMA’s sound with some harder, electronic and dance tracks. The two together sound like a night of Oasis at The Hacienda, but it really works.
Experimenting with the electronic side of production certainly paid off in Life Is A Game Of Changing, with an opening thirty seconds that mirrors just what you hear in the adrenaline-rushed entrance to a rave. Inspired by guitarist Johnny Took’s life in Edinburgh, the band pay homage to 90s rave music and later sounds from New Order, moving further away from their Britpop-inspired sound despite having a plethora of influence.
Out of the new tracks, Silver stands out as an absolute highlight. Tommy’s vocals are soothing as ever yet, with the building drums, elevate the song to an arena-ready anthem. Production for this track in particular is the most professional and mature it’s ever been, making the track the strongest of them all.
Learning Alive sticks out as the softest track on the album with the most heartfelt lyrics. Lines like, “I don’t want to be here forever, how can I tell you we’re getting better at life?” and an uplifting strings crescendo before the final chorus make for a real gem amongst the album’s predominantly upbeat track list and I can’t wait to hear it live.
DMA’s are foolishly underrated and barely get a mention or nod of recognition from your musician mates, yet are quietly getting better with every release. This is their most exciting release yet, for fans and the band, and I hope the response does their talent justice. DMA’s have created a record that captures the essence of Britpop and rave energy in just eleven tracks. The Glow is brilliantly fresh, undoubtedly their best record yet and rightfully belongs to any coming of age film soundtrack.
Carey Owen
