After keeping quiet for nine years, Dallas Crane have released their fifth studio album,Scoundrels.
Combining elements of all their previous releases, it’s immediately apparent this is the best thing the Melburnians have ever done. Dallas Crane formed in the mid-’90s, and released their debut LP Lent in 1998. However, it was ‘Sit On My Knee’, the lead single from 2000’s Twenty Four Seven, that really put them on the map. The BRAG speaks to lead singer Dave Larkin about the band’s illustrious return, and after so many years away, he’s full of confidence about the time ahead.
“It feels good to be back. There is no ridiculous timeline that we have to produce music by or expectations on our music anymore, and that’s a really great thing, I think,” he says. “It’s been a really enjoyable experience piecing this album together. We spent so much time on the road previously, which allowed for less time to create new music and put out albums. That meant we felt we really needed to up the ante with every release and to stamp our place in the music scene. Having complete control over everything has been fantastic and definitely something we want looking into the future.”
Kicking off the album is ‘The Sunnyside’, in which Larkin channels the late, great Bon Scott. It’s not a flat out AC/DC rip-off, but it’s a reassuring indication that Aussie rock is in good hands. The music industry has undergone drastic change since Dallas Crane’s fourth album, Factory Girls, came out in 2006. Accordingly, Scoundrels came to life courtesy of a recent online advent.
“For this record we turned our hand to crowdfunding,” says Larkin. “We found out in 2015 it is really a non-existent record industry. The whole Roman Empire of the record label seems to have dissipated in our absence. Artists are so DIY these days, and you have to be.
“I think the insecurity of not knowing whether the album was going to happen or not – because we put it up to our fans – was definitely an interesting thing. We wanted to reach as many people on social media as we could and we hit the target in nine days. We had reached 35 per cent in just one day and from that point on we knew we were in good hands.”
The band’s generous followers were rightly rewarded when Scoundrels dropped in late November. Despite their long absence, the record sounds just as ballsy and free-spirited as Dallas Crane’s earlier releases. Guitars and drums combine with Larkin’s howled vocals, sating fans’ lust for quality Aussie rock’n’roll.
Larkin and co. are now taking the new record all around the country. The frontman sells it simply: “Everyone should come down and hear the new tunes for themselves.”
Dallas Crane’sScoundrels is out now through Public Bookings, and they appear atNewtown Social Club on Saturday January 30.
