DMA’s return with their new album, The Glow. It’s a career high and one that should see the band’s star rise further.

Release Date: 10th July 2020

Label: I OH YOU

Format: CD / LP / Digital

After hearing them for the first time, you would be forgiven for mistaking DMA’s for a 90’s Manchester Brit-Pop band. In fact, the three-piece from Sydney are one of the best young bands around and have had a meteoric rise since their debut album Hills End in 2016. Their latest instalment, The Glow, is arguably their most polished record to date.

Whilst the album lacks the emotional openness of their earlier work, the refinement of lead singer Tommy O’Dell’s vocals and the band’s exciting movement away from rock to dance makes for an innovative and exhilarating record that could be a defining moment in the DMA’s career.

If, by some chance, you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t heard of the DMA’s before, fear not. They begin this album by re-introducing themselves with two indie-rock anthems that are archetypal of their previous work.

Never Before has the distinctive Madchester sound with swirling guitar riffs and bongo drums, whereas The Glow is a fast paced indie-anthem that incorporates stuttering guitar with syrupy-synth goodness. Both of these songs will get a lot of radio play, and are fantastic examples of the DMA’s instinct for a catchy hook.

As the album progresses, this trademark sound is increasingly blended with electronic beats and lashes of dance flavour. It is in this mingling where the sparks fly. Life Is A Game Of Changing and Criminals show a distinct evolution of their sound from the 90’s to a vibe that is more in line with modern pop. With electric synthy choruses and strong basslines, both will undoubtedly be big hits with live audiences.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of this album though is the development of O’Dell as a frontman. Silver and Appointment are slow pop ballads that really show his vocals at an unprecedented level of quality. Both of them stand out on the album as the vulnerability and openness of the lyrics really cut through the energetic vibe that is present throughout the rest of the tracklist. Further, O’Dell’s vocal proficiency cements his status as one of the most compelling lead singers around. Appointment in particular is a real highlight. As is the song that follows it.

Round and Around is a kaleidoscopic tune that features growling guitar riffs over the top of glittering piano. There is the perfect mesh of rock aggression and pop lightness in this song, a combination which the DMA’s continue to get right again and again.

With such a big following already for this young band, expectations were high for this album, and it does not disappoint. With such a mix-n-match of pop goodness, there is something for everybody on this record, and the DMA’s have proved themselves once again to be one of the most versatile and captivating bands on the scene.

Check out the video for the title track below.

DMA’s: Official Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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You can read more from Cameron Pilling here.