DOWN WITH BORING.
ISSUE 56 · JULY 2021 · READDORK.COM
I IIII NN N N N HH H H H AA A A A LLLLL EEEEE RRRRR Japanese Breakfast Griff The Wombats Lucy Dacus Spector Drug Store Romeos + loads more
INHALER THE DEBUT ALBUM
IT WON’T ALWAYS BE LIKE THIS
RELEASED 9TH JULY
INHALER.BAND
I
Index Issue 56 | July 2021 | readdork.com | Down With Boring
Editor’s Letter Do you know how hard it is to do a magazine cover during ‘these difficult times’, Dear Reader? No - no I expect you do not. Travel restrictions, understandable apprehensiveness towards unnecessary photo shoots, a lack of face to face time, scheduling Zoom calls and dealing with constantly changing rules and regulations - it’s quite a lot. Especially when you’re dealing with acts based
outside of our fair borders. Sure, Ireland isn’t a long way away, but just because they’re our near neighbours doesn’t negate the fact that - right now - Inhaler may as well be a world away. But wait for it - ‘It Won’t Always Be Like This’. Because that’s the name of their debut... yeah. Sorry. As we approach the point where hopefully the world starts to open up a bit again, we’re expecting
Inhaler to lead the charge. Following a long lineage of great stuff from Ireland, there’s so much more to them than what came before.
Stephen ‘Editor’ @stephenackroyd
Ø4 Intro 18 Hype 3Ø Features 58 Incoming Ø4.
The Wombats
Not ones to let a pesky global pandemic get in their way, The Wombats are back with a new single titled ‘Method to the Madness’ and news of an enormous London show slated for next year.
Ø8.
Zuzu
After a surprisingly busy 2020 for the Scouse newcomer, Zuzu returned to perform at the UK’s first live show in over a year. With the promise of new music on the horizon, she’s showing no signs of slowing down.
3Ø.
Inhaler In terms of apt titles, Inhaler’s debut album - ‘It Won’t Always Be Like This’ - is the kind of hopeful prophecy we’re all yearning for. For a band long predicted to make it to the big leagues, they’re ready to take the limelight on their own terms.
1Ø.
L Devine
Alt-pop sensation L Devine is about to release the first of an exciting new mixtape one-two, ‘Near Life Experience: Part 1’.
readdork.com Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden
Associate Editor Ali Shutler
Contributing Editors Jamie Muir, Martyn Young Scribblers Abigail Firth, Alex Cabré, Blaise Radley, Chloe Johnson, Ciaran Steward, Connor Fenton, Dillon Eastoe, Edie McQueen, Felicity Newton, Finlay Holden, Jasleen Dhindsa, Jay Singh, Laura Freyaldenhoven, Neive McCarthy, Jamie MacMillan, Maxwell Granger, Phoebe De Angelis, Sam Taylor, Steven Loftin Snappers Christian Tierney, Ebru Yildiz, Jerry Maestas, Josh TaylorMoon, Leon McCullough, Neelam Khan Vela, Paint Studios, Peter Ash Lee, Phoebe Neily, Robin Clewly
PUBLISHED FROM WELCOMETOTHEBUNKER.COM
UNIT 10, 23 GRANGE ROAD, HASTINGS, TN34 2RL
38.
42.
Lucy Dacus
Drug Store Romeos
With her rich and confessional third album ‘Home Video’, Lucy Dacus is interrogating the past as a means of moving forward.
Dreamscapes? Bedroompop? Whatever the label you want, Drug Store Romeos rule.
46.
5Ø.
Griff
Japanese Breakfast
Six months on from appearing on every new year tips list going, and our Griff is living up to the mountains of hype with a BRIT Award and a brand new mixtape.
With, a revolutionary new record and even An Actual Book, Michelle Zauner is in full bloom.
12.
Spector
18.
Wallice
Spector are expanding out the Spector Musical Universe with a new album, due later this year.
With one angst-ridden indierock anthem after another, LA-based Wallice is quickly growing an audience that can all too easily relate to her accessible and dramatically presented hopes and fears.
54.
De’Wayne
Have you met De’Wayne yet? Everyone’s favourite new punk is about to drop his debut album.
All material copyright (c). All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of The Bunker Publishing Ltd. Disclaimer: While every effort is made to ensure the information in this magazine is correct, changes can occur which affect the accuracy of copy, for which The Bunker Publishing Ltd holds no responsibility. The opinions of the contributors do not necessarily bear a relation to those of Dork or its staff and we disclaim liability for those impressions. Distributed nationally.
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Intro THE BEATING HEART OF POP NEWS
This month
Zuzu
After a surprisingly busy 2020, Zuzu returned to perform at the UK’s first live show in over a year. With the promise of new music on the horizon, she’s showing no signs of slowing down. p9
THE BIG STORY
L Devine
Alt-pop sensation L Devine is about to release the first of an exciting new mixtape one-two, ‘Near Life Experience: Part 1’. p10
Spector
Spector are expanding out the Spector Musical Universe with a new album, due later this year. p12.
4. DORK
“I think we’re the first band to get dropped by a major label and then get bigger”
HIS NAME IS
JONAS BUT WHICH JONAS BROTHER IS PHOEBE GREEN’S FAVOURITE? HMMM?!
If you’re anything like us, Dear Reader, there’ll be some questions you find yourself pondering on the regular. What is the meaning of life? What happens when you die? Which Jonas Brother is up-and-coming popster Phoebe Green’s favourite? Well, we can deal with one of them. After seeing her fetching Jonas-tastic photobooth snap on ‘the old Twitter’ the other week, we asked her. “My favourite Jonas Brother was always Nick,” she told us. “Take from that what you will.” We will, of course, be doing further research, and will bring you our full conclusions when complete.
T
he Wombats never seem to stop, do they? Even while stuck at home in LA, Matthew ‘Murph’ Murphy has been all-go over the pandemic, cracking on with what will be the band’s fifth studio album, with Dan Haggis (drums) and Tord Øverland Knudsen (bass/keys) just as busy this side of the pond. The first taste of new music is ‘Method to the Madness’, a slow builder that finds Murph moseying ‘round the streets of Barcelona’s gothic quarter. From a chilled, almost metronomic start, the track builds to a whopping climax with some of that non-stop energy these guys do so well. Murph gives Dork the low-down on making an album over Zoom, going viral on TikTok, and stagediving into German fans’ faces. What’s it been like living in LA through the past year and a half? Just crazy. I’m vaccinated, so I technically don’t have to wear a mask outside, but it’s always round my neck. I’ve got two kids, and it’s very unusual for me to be at home for a year and a half. It’s been great to get into some Dad/ family time.
Not ones to let a pesky global pandemic get in their way, The Wombats are back with a new single titled ‘Method to the Madness’ and news of an enormous London show slated for next year. We gave Murph a buzz to get all the details. Words: Alex Cabré.
We did the whole album over Zoom. It was ridiculous MURPH Let’s talk about ‘Method to the Madness’. Was it recorded since Covid? Yes, we did the whole album over Zoom. It was ridiculous. For those recordings, I was in a studio in LA while Dan and Tord were in London with Mark Crew, who’s the main producer. We’d check in each morning to figure out what the goal was for the day, but after a few weeks, they really started dwindling, so sometimes I’d be recording vocals for one song, and they’d be like five steps behind me, or five steps ahead, and Mark had to take everything and shove it all together afterwards. When
◤ The
Wombats ‘behind the scenes’ at Wembley Arena, 2019
we worked with [producer] Jacknife Lee, I was in LA with him, Tord was in Oslo, and Dan was in London with Mark. It was really odd. When was the last time you were all in a room together? It must be difficult summoning the energy to create upbeat music when you’re so disconnected from one another. Reading Festival 2019 was the last time I saw Tord. So next time I see him, it’ll be two years! On our first album, there were only three or four songs where we recorded together as a band. In that respect, we don’t all need to be in the same room to get that energy, somehow. We wrote ‘Method...’ in early 2019, and we had a good demo of it, and Dan could just track the drums to that demo. So long as we’re not doing any tempo changes, he can just be playing along. That was one of the easier parts, really. The lyrics and artwork
reference Barcelona, which you’ve described as influencing songs in the past, like ‘Pink Lemonade’. Do you find European cities especially inspiring? Cities, in general, have some kind of energy or dream-like quality to them, which I’m always running towards in songs. My wife and I had this great wedding in Spain. When we went on our honeymoon, we didn’t really plan it; we just got last minute flights and used the HotelTonight app to bounce around Spain and Italy. I think ‘Method...’ is generally about our honeymoon and this feeling that everything could change, but actually, nothing could change whatsoever. Sometimes I need to know where a song is taking place. I have to put it somewhere in my head, and that comes out in the lyrics. It turns out ‘Method...’ was Barcelona. There’s a lyric in there about “no more subscribing and no reviews”. Not sure we’d agree
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COVER STORY
In terms of apt titles, Inhaler’s debut album - ‘It Won’t Always Be Like This’ - is the kind of hopeful prophecy we’re all yearning for. For a band long predicted to make it to the big leagues, they’re ready to take the limelight on their own terms. Words: Jamie MacMillan. Photos: Christian Tierney.
30. DORK
INHALER
readdork.com 31.
FEATURES
CA With her rich and confessional third album ‘Home Video’, Lucy Dacus is interrogating the past as a means of moving forward. Words: Alex Cabré. Photos: Ebru Yildiz.
38. DORK
C
AN -DID CAM -ERA
LUCY DACUS
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FEATURES
WH E R E F O R A R T T H O U... We’ve all spent far too much time stuck in our rooms over recent months - but for Drug Store Romeos, that’s a whole universe of possibilities. Words: Jamie MacMillan. Photos: Neelam Khan Vela.
42. DORK
DRUG STORE ROMEOS
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FEATURES
BEST FOOT FORWAR Six months on from appearing on every new year tips list going, and our Griff is living up to the mountains of hype with a BRIT Award and a brand new mixtape. Words: Neive McCarthy.
46. DORK
GRIFF
T T RD readdork.com 47.
FEATURES
BE SWE E 50. DORK
ET
JAPANESE BREAKFAST
With a new outlook, a revolutionary new record and even An Actual Book, Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner is in full bloom. Words: Martyn Young. Photos: Peter Ash Lee.
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FEATURES
54. DORK
Have you met De’Wayne yet? Everyone’s favourite new punk is about to drop his debut album. Words: Steven Loftin.
readdork.com 55.
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