Hailing from Awabakal / Newcastle, dust have announced their debut EP ‘et cetera, etc’ on 29 March and provided a very enticing taste of what to expect with their new single ‘Joy (Guilt)’.
Travelling a very similar path to bands such as Fontaines D.C., The Murder Capital and Idles, but with a distinctly antipodean blush, ‘Joy (Guilt)’ mixes a spoken word verse and cataclysmic chorus delivered across jangling surging guitars that are angular and wild.
Embedded deep is a discourse that is poetic and intelligent – an observance of expectation and reality and the value of self-worth as opposed to idolatry:
I don’t want to be idolised
I want to be the person that you see waste away
I want to be a character in the feature film
That slowly slithers away
And when I’m standing there, facing you
I want you to look at me and feel nothing
Because I am nobody
You feel something because of you
Not because of me
Dual singer Gabriel Stove says of the song:
I wrote the lyrics in quite a turbulent and emotional time, collating lines that would come into my head or writing down things that people in my life had said. Lines that I thought were meaningful, funny or melancholy. Although unintentional, I think the lyrics come from an observational perspective or describe what my beliefs were at the time and remembering things that had been said to me in the past to shape those beliefs. I think it expresses the frustration of having no choice in how we’re brought up, what we’re told and the daily intake of information that constantly influences our behaviour. Whether that’s a result of our family, social media or religion.
This is tremendously refreshing music that surges with an emotive and dramatic delivery. The accompanying video created by Nathan Rathsam, is as chaotic, vibrant and immersive as the song:
‘Joy (Guilt)’ is out now via Kanine Records and available to download and stream here.
You can catch dust live on the following dates with a tour in the UK and Europe mooted for later in the year:
Fri 24 Mar – The Hamilton Station Hotel – Awabakal Land / Newcastle
Sat 25 Mar – Vic On The Park – Gadigal Land / Sydney
Sun 26 Mar – The Lass O’Gowrie Hotel – Awabakal Land / Newcastle
Feature Photograph: Charlie Hardy
