I was hugely impressed when I saw Launceston band Dvrkworld earlier this year playing on the lawns of the iconic Museum of New and Old Art (MONA) in Hobart, and it is therefore a mighty honour indeed to be able to premiere their new single ‘Bonnie’, and bring you an exclusive look at the accompanying video.
Fronted by Mary Shannon of Meres (a band we have enthusiastically covered before), Dvrkworld deliver an icy, glacial form of shoegaze that seems intrinsically linked to the wild terrain and the weather in the southern isle at the very edge of the world.
‘Bonnie’ has within its genetic code traces of MBV, Curve, Lush, Ride and bands of that ilk, and yet the end result is its own unique product: scything, jangling guitars and distant, observant vocals that cut through the wall of sound. Shannon’s vocals are frosty and rent with a velvet gossamer softness cloaking a steely spine as she delivers powerful indelible melodies. The pounding rhythms and crystalline guitars drive the frenetic pace; a wall of sound as dramatic as the Walls of Jericho in the Tasmanian hinterlands.
Shannon says of the track:
Named after the band’s drummer’s beloved canine companion, ‘Bonnie’ explores the tension between the desire to stay true to oneself and the pressure to conform. Much like a dog’s inherent loyalty and unconditional love, ‘Bonnie’ serves as a metaphor for the yearning to be fully accepted and not alone.
There is an enigmatic poetry in the lyrics that encapsulates a sense of dark mystery and mysticism:
And as the image starts
To break apart
You’re left chasing
The remains of everything I’m not
This is stirring stuff from Dvrkworld who join a pantheon of incredible bands based in lutruwita/Tasmania – an island with a miniscule population that punches way above its weight in terms of dynamic innovative music (A.Swayze and the Ghosts, TEENS, Luca Brasi, Christopher Coleman, Bully Hay, follow, Rowan Smith, Verticoli, EWAH and the Vision of Paradise to name but a few).
The accompanying video – filmed and edited by the multi-talented Shannon – is a fuzzy blurred miasma of purple-bleached visuals that captures the band in performance against a backdrop of dramatic landscapes and the starring pooch. It is a fitting visualisation of the maelstrom of sound:
‘Bonnie is out tomorrow (3 July 2024) and available to download and stream via all the usual sites (pre-save here). The band has delivered something quite special in their own style but with a classic authenticity drawing upon a well beloved shoegaze genre. This is a sign of exciting stuff to come – the band will be releasing an EP later this year.
Formed in early 2023 by Mary Shannon and Drew Farrant-Jayet and later joined by Shawn Arnold and Ryan Unger, Dvrkworld blends an eclectic mix of garage-rock, dream-pop, psychedelic-rock, shoegaze, and grunge.
The single was recorded in the idyllic setting of Lilydale, Tasmania, by band members Mary, Drew, and Shawn, with mixing by Hobart’s own Spiro Noutsatos of Silver Fleet Ships. Renowned Mikey Young, known for his involvement with Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Total Control, brings his mastering expertise to the track.
Dvrkworld spent 2023 honing their live performance, connecting with audiences locally and interstate. Their recent opening for the internationally acclaimed Unknown Mortal Orchestra at The Odeon Theatre in Nipaluna/Hobart has set a high benchmark for what’s to come from this dynamic band.
Feature Photograph: Alex Pugh
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