Album Review :: DMA’S - The Glow

Album

DMA’S

The Glow

July 10 2020 (Illusive Sounds)

9/10

Words: Richard Cobb

With the likely sorry demise of many a festival goer's favourite band earlier this week, there’s a headliner-sized gap in the hearts of fans of guitar music and the diaries of festival bosses to fill in time for next year. New headliner material has been harder than hungover Sudoku over the last decade, if only there was a band capable of making the step up.

The logical replacement waiting in the wings are Sydney trio DMA’S who have been as ever-present at UK festivals over the years as Dark Fruit Strongbow. Following on from their iconic 2016 debut ‘Hills End’ and 2018’s commercially revered follow-up ‘For Now’, the band are back with new album ‘The Glow’. But can they hit the target with this one or will they balloon it over the fence?

Opener ‘Never Before’ has a heavy Stone Roses vibe to it, largely down to the trademark psychedelic guitar lines and off-beat drumming. It’s an enjoyable, but fairly safe intro. The same can’t be said for title track ‘The Glow’ which has been doing the rounds for the last few months. It’s such a perfect all-round DMA’S track and even on first listen sounds instantly recognisable. What’s really levitated the band above their peers over the last four years has been singer Tommy O’ Dell’s silk-like vocals and they never fail to hit the mark on every track across the album.

‘Life Is a Game of Changing’ is probably the band’s most experimental track to date, yet with the many layered electronics and harmonies, it’s very much a natural progression and one the trio have nailed here with its infectious swirling synths.

Kicking off the second half of the record, ‘Strangers’ is the first outing as the song writing centre forward for guitarist Matt Mason. It’s one of the album's more straightforward guitar-centric moments with many of the layers stripped back, but it’s definitely a case of less is more and on second listen it’s one of most memorable and thought-provoking numbers on the album.

An early frontrunner for the LP’s best song is ‘Hello Girlfriend’ with Johnny Took’s acoustic and some thumping drums taking the spotlight. It leaves you with a similar euphoric feeling to that of their live set closer and debut album powerhouse ‘Lay Down.’ Final track ‘Cobracaine’ has, by the band’s admission, been on their to-do list since before ‘Hills End’ but they couldn’t find a home for it until their discovery of synths managed to unlock its true potential. The last track on an album is often a good indication of where a band are likely to go next and if more synths are the destination for album four it wouldn’t be a bad thing given how well it’s worked out for them here.

Though acclaimed by fans and critics alike, I couldn’t help feeling the band’s second album ‘For Now’ didn’t quite hit the peaks of their first and it lacked some truly memorable moments which its predecessor had in spades. It was clear from track two that there was no such problem here, and not only have DMA’S managed to create possibly their best yet, they’ve also firmly cemented themselves as heirs to the vacant festival throne and come next summer they should deservedly be headlining major festivals in the UK and Australia.