It’s been one hell of a year for our old dinosaur mates. With the rise of Indominus Rex at Jurassic World and Velociraptor dropping a Diplodocus-sized new single, our prehistoric reptile friends are far from extinct! Now Brissy’s other favourite dinos, indie rock four-piece Last Dinosaurs, have unleashed an epic sophomore album Wellness which zooms through space and time on an emotionally-charged meteor. Plummeting towards Earth in a fireball of synths and guitar riffs, their latest tracks excavate their thoughts on life and love, and leave no stone unturned.
Showing plenty of maturity and growth Brissie boys Last Dinosaurs are back and roaring with their sophomore release Wellness.
Lifting off with their astronomical debut album In A Million Years, Sean Caskey (vocals, guitar), Lachlan Caskey (guitar), Michael Sloane (bass) and Dan Koyama (drums) have left a pretty large footprint across the land. Blasted all over the triple J airwaves, landing a top 10 spot on the ARIA charts and touring the world over, the Dinos have amassed a huge following over the past three years. Evolving both musically and emotionally during that time, the boys decided to head back to the studio late last year to record their sophomore LP and dig up all their feels.
To help them explore this new terrain, they journeyed south to The Grove studio in NSW’s Central Coast and called on ace producer Scott Horscroft (Silverchair, The Presets, Empire of the Sun). On working with Horscroft, the boys said that, “He has the perfect blend of scientist and artist in him. It’s just inspiring watching someone who’s a master at his craft weave his magic on your work”. Setting up camp at his studio for two months, the boys described their time at The Grove as like “Being on a holiday in paradise and going in to do daily tracking”. With these holiday vibes rubbing off on the album, Wellness plunges into a lost world overgrown with tropical pop hooks, lush instrumentals and melancholic skies.
Drenched in synths, lead single Evie really chomps at your heartstrings. Despite the upbeat rhythm that makes you want to dance, the tune is doused in Caskey’s morose crooning about a relationship’s inevitable star-crossed fate. Continuing along that same trajectory, Karma overflows with heartache. Whilst the drum beat swells with sunshine, Caskey’s brooding vocals plea, “I don’t want to say goodbye, cause I need you in my life” as he recalls another tale of lost love. Title track Wellness then drifts through a dreamier soundscape clouded with introspection before the Matrix-inspired single Apollo dives deeper into disco guitar-pop territory. Ready to land, final track Zero searches for meaning amidst a meteor shower of annihilating guitar riffs headed straight for Earth.
Exploring lots of tropical indie rock terrain, the Last Dinosaurs’ sophomore album unearths plenty of universal truths. Full of personal stories from the Dinos’ past three years on the road, Wellness is grounded in that it is relatable and honesty we’ve come to love about these boys, as well as their killer tunes. Set to release their LP on August 28 via Dew Process / Universal, make sure you catch them on their national tour kicking off soon after.
Sep 25 The Triffid (U18s) Brisbane
Sep 25 The Triffid (18+) Brisbane
Oct 01 The Corner (U18s Matinee) Melbourne
Oct 01 The Corner (18+) Melbourne
Oct 02 The Gov (AA) Adelaide
Oct 09 The Enmore (AA) Sydney
Oct 10 ANU Bar (18+) Canberra
Oct 17 The Rosemount (18+) Perth
Oct 18 Jimmy’s Den (U18s Matinee) Perth
