THE DREGGS SHARE LUMINOUS NEW SINGLE ‘PEEPS WITH THE GOODS’ DEBUT ALBUM ‘CAUGHT IN A REVERIE’ SET FOR RELEASE APRIL 26 + AUS AND NZ ALBUM HEADLINE TOUR KICKS OFF IN JUNE + APPEARING AT SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS IN JULY
Disarming, charming and sonically warm as a summer breeze, the new single Peeps With The Goods from beloved indie-folk The Dreggs draws on the pair’s trademark vivacity, while also unfurling a fresh new direction as the band sit poised on the release of their debut album Caught In A Reverie, due out on Friday April 26. With The Dreggs set to celebrate their first-ever full length via a national Australian tour this June and July, fans can also catch some extra Dreggs infamous live magic rounding out the Aussie run with an appearance on the main stage on Saturday July 20 as part of the stacked lineup for Splendour In The Grass.
An effervescent addition to their ever-expanding repertoire, Peeps With The Goods finds The Dreggs, aka Paddy Macrae and Zane Harris, exploring new terrain, injecting elements of airy soul and gospel alongside a treatise on life as an independent artist in the modern music industry. With inspiration from fellow Aussie indie legend Matt Corby, Peeps With The Goods was fittingly conjured with the man himself, as The Dreggs’ own Paddy Macrae explains, “Matt Corby was a huge influence for this track. We were given the opportunity to write and record with Corby and this song is the result of that collaboration. The song is about the push and pull a lot of independent artists have to confront within the music industry. It’s an anthem to those who have experienced equal parts joy and frustration with their career, but also a reminder that persevering is the only way to push through and find that ‘happy place’, whatever that might mean for them.”
Working alongside Alex Henriksson as well as Corby in the studio to bring Peeps With The Goods to life, with mastering courtesy of Paul Blakey, the latest single from The Dreggs joins recent drops Take A Little Time and Places, setting the scene for a universe of magic lying in wait on the duo’s long-awaited debut album due out this April. Building on the sturdy foundations set out by their 2018 debut EP Seas Embrace, Caught In A Reverie is The Dreggs taking full, shimmering flight, with 12 songs set to delight, calm and charm. Opening with the breezy warmth of Peeps With The Goods, Caught In A Reverie sonically transports you into a daydream of acoustic percolating beauty (Train Left The Station), stirring indie folk (Places), airy stomping yarns (I’m A Little Older) and bluesy bliss (Berlin), with each passing track glowing with The Dreggs’ intuitive storytelling and vibrant instrumentation. An equally intimate and engaging journey, Caught In A Reverie unfurls its poignant core themes in the seamless hands of Macrae and Harris, with the end result emerging as one of wonder and catharsis as well as showcasing the pair’s compelling growth and shift as songwriters. “We are so beyond stoked to finally be releasing our debut album,” shares Macrae. “It’s been a long time coming and we are confident that people are going to take something from it. I would be lying if I said we weren’t nervous, however, as this is an introduction into a slightly different scope of our songwriting and where it will eventually take us. Some of the tracks may surprise some of our listeners but, alas, this is a journey for us as much as it is for our fans and it wouldn’t much of an exciting one if we kept using the same equation. The album has a lot of themes of grief spread throughout. That of denial, anger, bargaining, depression and then eventually acceptance. This album is very much a personal diary, showcasing some extremely personal thoughts, feelings, and emotions with the goal to provide listeners with an individual and very raw perspective of grief without judgement. Hopefully people will listen to this album and understand a little more of how important it is that we all experience grief as individuals, and that in itself is a good thing.”
A genuine force to be reckoned with in a live setting, as anyone who attended their respective mass-singalong sets at Spilt Milk and NYE On The Hill will attest to, The Dreggs will hit the road this June and July to launch Caught In A Reverie nationally, before rounding out their Aussie run with an appearance on the iconic Splendour In The Grass lineup. A band who can hold giant crowds in the palm of their hands with their irresistible wit and vulnerability, there will also be a few surprises in store for fans later this year onstage, as Macrae reveals, “It wouldn’t be a Dreggs show without a singalong and we’ve made sure there are plenty of magical moments throughout the set. One of the goals we have been working on is incorporating lot of moments where we can involve the crowd. On top of that, we are excited to be bringing the energy onstage with the addition of other band members. Don’t worry, it’ll still be Paddy and Zane, the folk duo, that we started out as, but just with some friends with us to turn it from a ‘performance’ to a ‘show’! We are also ecstatic to be a part of one of Australia’s largest and most well-known contemporary music festivals in Australia’s music history. It’s been a dream of ours for so long, and to be given the opportunity is absolutely wild. There’s no better way to finish up our major Aus tour than to top it off with Splendour!! We’ll see you guys there!”
Kicking off 2024 as triple j Unearthed’s first feature artist for the year, The Dreggs are only just getting started as they approach the release of their debut album. But 2024 isn’t the first year of highs for the Sunshine Coast band, with the pair catapulting from the release of their debut single Give Myself To You back in 2017 into one of Australia’s most in-demand live acts, alongside having their debut track certified Gold in Australia in 2023. Also selling over 15,000 tickets in Australia alone last year with their largest ever headline and regional tours, and mesmerising crowds of around 10,000 with their sets at Spilt Milk Festival, The Dreggs are undeniably the hottest ticket in town, with their recently announced album release week shows selling out in 48 hours – purely off the back of an Instagram post. And it’s not just at home that The Dreggs love runs deep, with the duo also continuing to turn heads overseas, with their return to the UK and Europe this May set to deliver their biggest headline shows to date.
Peeps With The Goods is out today, Friday March 22.
Caught In A Reverie is due out Friday April 26.
Streaming link: PEEPS WITH THE GOODS
THE DREGGS – UPCOMING ALBUM LAUNCH PARTIES
FRI 26 APRIL | MIAMI MARKETTA, GOLD COAST | SOLD OUT
SAT 27 APRIL | KINGS BEACH TAVERN, SUNSHINE COAST | SOLD OUT
SUN 28 APRIL | THE TRIFFID, BRISBANE | SOLD OUT
WED 1 MAY | TORQUAY HOTEL, VIC | SOLD OUT
THURS 2 MAY | NORTHCOTE SC, MELBOURNE | SOLD OUT
THE DREGGS – ALBUM TOUR – AUSTRALIA/NZ
FRI 14 JUN | HINDLEY STREET MUSIC HALL, ADELAIDE SA | ALL AGES
Tickets available from www.thedreggsmusic.com
SAT 15 JUN | METRO CITY, PERTH WA | 18+
Tickets available from www.thedreggsmusic.com
FRI 21 JUN | FORTITUDE MUSIC HALL, BRISBANE | ALL AGES
Tickets available from www.thedreggsmusic.com
FRI 28 JUN | ENMORE THEATRE, SYDNEY | ALL AGES
Tickets available from www.thedreggsmusic.com
SAT 29 JUN | FORUM, MELBOURNE | 18+
Tickets available from www.thedreggsmusic.com
SAT 20 JUL | NGARINDJIN NORTH BYRON PARKLANDS, BYRON BAY | ALL AGES
Tickets available from https://splendourinthegrass.com/tickets/
FRI 26 JUL | THE CHURCH, CHRISTCHURCH, NZ | 18+
Tickets available from www.thedreggsmusic.com
SAT 27 JUL | U BAR, DUNEDIN, NZ | 18+
Tickets available from www.thedreggsmusic.com
SUN 28 JUL | YONDER, QUEENSTOWN, NZ | 18+
Tickets available from www.thedreggsmusic.com
THU 1 AUG | SAN FRAN, WELLINGTON, NZ | 18+
Tickets available from www.thedreggsmusic.com
FRI 2 AUG | TUNING FORK, AUCKLAND, NZ | 18+
Tickets available from www.thedreggsmusic.com
ESKIMO JOE SHARE DRIVING NEW SINGLE THE FIRST TIME
A buoyant yet bittersweet ode to nostalgia, Australian alternative rock icons Eskimo Joe return today armed with The First Time; the band’s first new music since 2021’s 99 Ways. Set to appear at Lookout Festival alongside Live and Incubus before embarking on their National Acoustic Theatre Tour starting this April, The First Time feels familiar yet fresh, with Eskimo Joe capturing the essence of their stadium rock-ready triumph, 2008’s Black Fingernails, Red Wine, alongside some sharp 2024 vigour.
Drawing inspiration from long-time Eskimo Joe creative influences as well as the band’s unshakeable bond, the core of The First Time also evolved following a stacked 2023, with multiple festival appearances sparking the trio to harness the energy of a giant crowd setting into their 2024-penned new track. “We really look up to bands like the Rolling Stones and U2 – those guys who keep touring and creating music over and over again,”shares bass player and vocalist Kav Temperley. “It makes us proud of our musical journey and the people who have taken our songs into their lives. Eskimo Joe is still the three core members. It just wouldn’t be the Eskies without the three of us in a studio or on stage making music together – our friendship is as much a part of the band as the music itself. After an amazing 2023 of playing some huge festivals, there’s this indescribable energy when a massive crowd is singing your songs back at you. We wanted to capture that energy and infuse it into our recording. So, in the first week of January this year, over five days we wrote and recorded The First Time at my studio in Fremantle.”
Opening with Temperley musing “I found myself looking for you, I wonder if you’re looking for me” over glimmering instrumentation and a driving beat, The First Time simultaneously tugs at your heartstrings while charming with creamy melodics and soaring choruses. An undeniable instant Eskimo Joe classic, The First Time ultimately delves into upbeat sentimentality, as Temperley elaborates, “We wanted to write something that set out to encapsulate the bittersweet feeling of nostalgia, that looks back through rose coloured glasses conveniently forgetting the heartache and sleepless nights that came with a certain place and time in our lives. It’s easy in the loneliest moments to look back and take comfort in those memories secretly holding onto that feeling like an addict. The song is also a realisation that holding onto the past might also be holding you back from the present. The subject is nostalgic but so is the sound of this song, it sounds like it could have sat perfectly on the Black Fingernails album.”
Lead guitarist Stu MacLeod says, “You put so much energy into each song, you build it up, tear it down, build it back up again until it matches the band’s vision. I love the energy in this song and the sentiment, and I’m stoked that we get to release it out into the world.” Drummer and guitarist Joel Quartermain adds, “Once it’s out in the world, a song truly exists. Hopefully people connect with it.”
The accompanying music video beautifully documents Eskimo Joe’s many years as a band, with nostalgic footage of their many achievements over the years.
Forming in 1997, Eskimo Joe would go on to become one of Australia’s most enduring acts, with six studio albums and ongoing commercial success in their wake, including 2004’s A Song Is A City and 2006’s Black Fingernails, Red Wine reaching Platinum status, and the latter dominating the ARIA Top 50 Chart for 62 weeks. The Eskimo Joe journey from Fremantle indie rock darlings to an international success story has also seen the band’s impact expand well beyond the studio, with ongoing chart success, 35 ARIA nominations and eight wins, two APRA Awards, countless appearances at major festivals and events across the globe, and frequent appearances in triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown, including their single Black Fingernails, Red Wine taking out the #2 spot in the Hottest 100 of 2006. With performances spanning Sound Relief, Live Earth, at the Sundance Film Festival or, closer to home, at Big Day Out, Splendour In The Grass and, most recently, Good Things Festival, Eskimo Joe’s craftsmanship is only amplified by their swaggering live prowess; and it’s this very fact that inspired the band’s newest sonic output while also firmly showcasing Eskimo Joe’s ever-present vitality in the music scene decades into their career.
“It feels great releasing some new music with Eskimo Joe,” Temperley says. “We had such an amazing year last year, playing all different kinds of shows, and ending the year with Good Things Festival that saw us playing in front of crowds of 30,000. We left 2023 feeling so connected with our audiences that we felt that now is the right time to write a new tune.”
“Kicking off in April, we take to the road for the Lookout Festival, unveiling our new single with icons like Incubus and Live,” Temperley concludes.Straight off the back of the festival – April through August, we embark on a 22-show acoustic journey across Australia. This tour allows us to present our music in a more intimate setting, strengthening our connection with our audience. Each performance is crafted to deepen the musical experience, blending the high energy of festival shows with the personal touch of our acoustic sessions.”
The First Time is out today.
ESKIMO JOE – UPCOMING SHOWS
SAT 06 APR | LOOKOUT FESTIVAL, SANDSTONE POINT, QLD | 18+
Tickets available from www.ticketmaster.com.au I All Ticketmaster outlets
SUN 07 APR | LOOKOUT FESTIVAL, SOUTHPORT, QLD | 18+
Tickets available from www.ticketmaster.com.au I All Ticketmaster outlets
SAT 13 APR | LOOKOUT FESTIVAL, MORNINGTON VIC | 18+
Tickets available from www.ticketmaster.com.au I All Ticketmaster outlets
SAT 20 APR | LOOKOUT FESTIVAL, WHITFORDS WA | 18+
Tickets available from www.ticketmaster.com.au I All Ticketmaster outlets
SAT 27 APR | CIVIC HALL, BALLARAT VIC
Tickets available from www.eskimojoe.net/tours | Via Box Office 03 5333 5888
SUN 28 APR | WYNDHAM CULTURAL CENTRE, WERRIBEE VIC
Tickets available from www.eskimojoe.net/tours | Via Box Office (03) 8734 6000
SAT 25 MAY | CASULA POWERHOUSE, LIVERPOOL NSW
Tickets available from www.eskimojoe.net/tours | Via Box Office 02 8711 7123
SUN 26 MAY | THE CONCOURSE LOUNGE, WILLOUGHBY NSW
Tickets available from www.eskimojoe.net/tours | Via Box Office 02 8075 8111
FRI 31 MAY | LOGAN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE, LOGAN QLD
Tickets available from www.eskimojoe.net/tours
SAT 1 JUN | PROSERPINE ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE, PROSERPINE QLD
Tickets available from www.eskimojoe.net/tours | Via Box Office(07) 4945 0405
FRI 21 JUN | RED EARTH ARTS PRECINCT, KARRATHA WA
Tickets available from www.eskimojoe.net/tours (no contact on venue)
SAT 22 JUN | CARNARVON CIVIC CENTRE, CARNARVON WA
Tickets available from www.eskimojoe.net/tours
FRI 28 JUN | ALBANY ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE, ALBANY WA
Tickets available from www.eskimojoe.net/tours | Via Box Office (08) 6212 9292
SUN 30 JUN | ESPERANCE CIVIC CENTRE, ESPERANCE WA
Tickets available from www.eskimojoe.net/tours
FRI 5 JUL | THE WEDGE, SALE VIC
Tickets available from www.eskimojoe.net/tours | Via Box Office 03 5143 3200
SAT 6 JUL | KINGSTON CITY HALL, MOORABBIN VIC
Tickets available from www.eskimojoe.net/tours | Via Box Office (03) 9556 4440.
SUN 7 JUL | QUEANBEYAN PAC, QUEANBEYAN NSW | ALL AGES
Tickets available from www.eskimojoe.net/tours | Via Box Office (02) 6285 6290
TUE 9 JUL | HORSHAM TOWN HALL THEATRE, HORSHAM VIC
Tickets available from www.eskimojoe.net/tours | Via Box Office 03 5382 9555
FRI 12 JUL | SWAN HILL TOWN HALL PACC, SWAN HILL VIC
Tickets available from www.eskimojoe.net/tours
SAT 13 JUL | THE ART HOUSE, WYONG NSW
Tickets available from www.eskimojoe.net/tours | Via Box Office 02 4335 1485
FRI 26 JUL | MOUNT ISA CIVIC CENTRE, MOUNT ISA QLD
Tickets available from www.eskimojoe.net/tours
SUN 28 JUL | ROCKHAMPTON RIVER FESTIVAL, ROCKHAMPTON QLD | ALL AGES
Tickets available from www.eskimojoe.net/tours
CHARLIE LANE SHARES DRIVING NEW SINGLE + VIDEO ‘GOLD DRIPS’
An edgy and propulsive new sonic delight from Melbourne singer-songwriter Charlie Lane, the single Gold Drips out today meshes layers of indie pop and rock edges with some new wave charm alongside Lane’s trademark self-aware lyricism. Also accompanied by an aptly gold-themed music video today, Gold Drips is a shimmering return from Lane ahead of launching her new track live onstage next Thursday March 14 at The Workers Club in Fitzroy.
Drafting what would become Gold Drips back in 2019 alongside co-writer Lyra Caltabiano, Lane returned to the track in 2021, taking it to fellow co-writer and producer Adam Jack Heath and developing it together into its final form. Inspired by an eclectic array of artists, including The National, Joy Division, Amy Winehouse, Pink, Kate Nash and Blondie, Lane fused her creative knack for weaving sunshine into relatable honesty alongside diverse inspiration, emerging with a new wave-hued edgy charmer laden with powerful meaning, as Lane explains, “Gold Drips was written around enmeshed families, and a co-dependent relationship; what it is to be stuck in a position of loyalty and remembering your strength to break out of that place to do what’s right, even if that means you have to leave what’s comfortable behind. Adam is another co-writer, and is also the guitarist, keys player and backing vocalist whilst also being the producer for this track. Literally an all-round legend. Louis Spencely is on drums, Jethro (Jet) Kalt on Bass, and the amazing Jasmine Johnston on synth and backings.”
Embracing all things gold for the accompanying Gold Drips music video, Lane worked alongside her press photographer Marcus Coblyn to ultimately bring the clip to life. Seemingly simplistic but pulsing with creativity and cohesive meaning, the Gold Drips video first evolved from ice coffee meetings and the fortuitous discovery of a gold-adjacent airstream, as Lane elaborates, “At first I really struggled to come up with a concept for the clip as I wrote the song quite a few years back, and it has definitely changed its meaning to me over that time. I knew that I didn’t want it to be overly complex and that there was definitely going to be a gold theme going on, so I pushed hard on that one! I was really lucky that I had Marcus onboard as he is super validating and full of ideas. After our “meeting”, which was an iced coffee and hang out at Edinburgh gardens because that’s how you get shit done, I went home and contacted my friends from high school Tarryn and her husband Tim. I knew they had a brass decor airstream for hire at their business lagoon locations and then ideas started flowing.”
Discovering her love of music at a young age, Lane grew up listening to her father’s favourite blues artists, becoming enamoured by the guitarwork of the likes of Buddy Guy, Lloyd Spiegel and Jimmy Hocking alongside her mother’s tastes which spanned Carole King and Joni Mitchell. From writing her first song at the age of 16 to studying at JMC Academy, Lane’s first performance took place at a cabaret festival in 2013, before she turned her gaze from the theatrical arts into more indie waters. Recruiting session players, Lane soon found her stride as a songwriter, with her sound evolving over the years without faltering from her core flair of conjuring charming and authentic music. A queer and disabled woman in the music industry who is “just looking to push boundaries, break down barriers and stigmas,” Lane has established herself as a formidable force on the Melbourne creative scene over the years, with over 100+ shows under her belt while proudly championing inclusivity within the musical realms.
And with much more still to come in 2024, Lane will launch her latest single Gold Drips next week in Melbourne, performing her brand new track at The Workers Club; and there are definitely some surprises in store for the night, as Lane concludes, “This next one is definitely going to be a fun show. We’re doing a lot of new tracks from the album and an old banger that seems to be a fave. I definitely love to keep the stage presence fun and a slight surprise for the boys currently playing with me. Jet is quite new as the bass player, I felt like I gave him quite a scare the last gig jumping so close out of nowhere, as I’m pretty tame in rehearsals. But the show is always a good time.”
Gold Drips is out today, Friday March 8.
CHARLIE LANE – UPCOMING SHOWS
THURS 14 MARCH | THE WORKERS CLUB | 18+
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au| 1300 742 545 | All Oztix Outlets