INTERVIEW W/ DMAs: "It tells the story of our journey over the last 10 years!"

Australian rock trio DMA’S marked a major milestone earlier this year, celebrating a decade since the release of their debut Hills End. As the band reflect and reminisce on the journey that has transformed them from Sydney hopefuls into sell-out headliners, they are already looking ahead to the next chapter. Later this summer they will release their fifth album, a self-titled record that reconnects with the classic DIY ethos that put them on the map. The upcoming album will see the Aussie boys honour their roots whilst continuing to evolve their sound, expertly balancing familiarity with new ambitions. With so much to look back on over the past 10 years, we caught up with the band’s rhythm guitarist Johnny Took to discuss memorable moments and what’s still to come for DMA’S. 

Photo Credit: Roman Jody

Q. Over the last decade, you've gone from playing small clubs to headlining iconic venues like Alexandra Palace and playing festivals around the world. Was there a particular show that stands out as a favourite?

A. “I think the first time we did Brixton Academy, that was a big one. The first time we played Barrowlands in Scotland and Ally Pally were favourites too. Supporting Liam Gallagher at Finsbury Park was a big one, but I like the club shows as well. I've got really fond memories of playing Broadcast in Glasgow and The Deaf Institute in Manchester”. 


Q. The 10th anniversary Hills End Tour earlier this year must have brought back a lot of memories. Was there a song that surprised you the most when you revisited it live after all these years? 

A. “ I think I’d say The Switch. It was a B-side, it wasn't a single but I just love that song so much and I kind of forgot how much I loved it. It was just great to see people years later still singing along to it”.

Q. If you could go back and give your 2016 selves one piece of advice before Hills End came out, what would it have been and do you think that you would have actually listened to it? 

A. “I probably would have told myself to not  smoke as much as I did, so I would have appreciated touring America and Europe a little more. But at the same time, you know, I was a young kid. I was having a laugh so I probably wouldn't have listened to myself anyway”.

Q. A lot has changed over the last 10 years. What's one thing you think has stayed the same about the three of you? 

A. I think our mutual respect for each other, that’s stayed the same. You go through different phases of life and you grow up and people get married and have families, but I think we have this mutual respect for each other which we've always had and that resonates through our time in the studio and into the albums. I really love that. It resonates into our friendships as well which keeps us being able to do what we do”.

Q. You're set to release your 5th album, DMA’S, in August. Why was now the right time to release a self-titled record? 

A.  I think that it's the right time to release this self-titled record because we've been on the trajectory with the band from being super DIY, to a little bit more produced, to going into a more high produced kind of dance rock element. We did that for a couple of albums, and that was important for us because as creators we had territory that we wanted to explore. Now it kind of feels like we're coming full circle and going back to our roots and leaning into that kind of guitar, more DIY sounds. We hadn't done a self-titled record yet so there’s no better time than now”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zTB57LiXPk

Q. The album arrives before you head back on the road later this year and into 2027. With a catalogue that'll be 5 albums deep, does putting together the setlist get harder with every tour?

A. “Yeah it does get harder. But at the same time it also makes the show better because the harder it gets means the stronger the songs are, and the stronger the songs are the better the time the crowd’s having. There'll be a few discussions, but we kind of tend to rotate songs if a song's been on for too many tours. We don't want to come back and just play the same set again and again because otherwise people get bored of that, even if they do want to have certain sing-alongs. I think it's good to rest certain songs and then bring other ones back”.

Q. If Hills End captured who you were in 2016, what does the upcoming self-titled record say about who you are in 2026? 


A. “I think it tells the story of OUR journey over the last 10 years, stylistically changing, and then the idea that at the end of the day we're still a guitar band, we love the songwriting and we're still great mates. I think that's what it would say”.