If you haven’t already immersed yourself in Dear Doonan’s self-titled debut album, stop what you’re doing and go listen to it now. The record is a sprawling psychedelic journey, and we’ve had it spinning on repeat ever since we first laid ears on it.
So fresh off the record’s release, we caught up with the band to chat all about it, musical influences, and journeys to the Temple Of Doon.
With an epic debut album fresh under their belts, we caught up with Sunshine Coast-based outfit Dear Doonan to chat all about it.
HAPPY: Hey, how’s it going? What are you up to at the moment?
DEAR DOONAN: Currently sitting on a red velvet couch in our underpants trying to imitate the call of a peacock we can hear in the distance. Musically speaking… we’re about to head into the studio to make our next record.
HAPPY: We’ve been slamming the new album! How does it feel having it out there in the world?
We’re stoked we can finally share it with everyone. We’re also relieved… we managed to produce and release it completely independently. It was a journey.
HAPPY: I know it’s a tough question… but do you have a favourite track off the album?
DEAR DOONAN: No favourites. Depends on the mood.
HAPPY: Were there any specific things you set out to achieve with this album? Was there any mission statement?
DEAR DOONAN: We actually had about 14 tracks planned. But decided to hang onto a few tunes for future releases. We like converging various genres and we have a lot of stylistic ideas floating around… so where do you start?
HAPPY: For us, it feels like every song is a kind of journey. Is that how you view your music? Do you imagine yourselves travelling through different locations within your tunes?
DEAR DOONAN: Yes. We always pull inspiration from various parts of the globe. We’re huge fans of journeying music.
HAPPY: Could you walk us through how the album came together? Where’d you record? Who was involved?
DEAR DOONAN: Our lead guitarist had an opportunity to record at a University with hi-end gear. We produced the album ourselves with some help from some of our amazing friends.
HAPPY: Were there any specific artists you were listening to while making the album?
DEAR DOONAN: Country Joe and the Fish, the Incredible String Band, the graveyard train, Rodriguez, Ty Segal, Peter Bibby, T Rex and Nick Cave were all on high rotation.
HAPPY: Are there any other artist you’re currently loving?
DEAR DOONAN: Kikagaku Moyo, Fela Kuti, Erkin Koray, The Specials, Los Bitchos, Gabor Szabo, Cymande. These artists are our current inspiration.
HAPPY: What’s next for Dear Doonan? Any other exciting plans in the works?
DEAR DOONAN: We are about to embark on a journey to the TEMPLE of DOON.
Dear Doonan’s debut album is out now. Listen above.
