Dumbells – Up Late With the... - New LP

I remember parked on the side of the road in front of Total Punk headquarters in SE PDX, and King Total Punk Rich telling me about this band called Dumbells he was going to release their record, and it was just so great to see the excitement on this face, and I was relating and understanding cuz I was telling him about working with Sonny Vincent and my excitement about the upcoming Testors record...and upcoming Punter...Personality Cult...The States..but while it was mostly the excitement on his face, it was also just the fact that a new band from Australia was called Dumbells...I knew it had to be good...it's not what I expected...it's even better...on the Total Punk imprint Mind Meld, so trippy...really fucking good, sounding like they mangled up influences like Byrds and Syd Barrett (maybe even Thunderclap Newman and Television) ...mangled indeed, sounds all mangled up but just when it's about to get too claustrophobic, it squeezes out into release, tension/release, just fucking brilliance. I hate to stereotype but since this album is so different than the other Australian records at Green Noise, I'll go ahead and say it: them Australians might embrace their influences, but out of those embraces, something unique and wonderful emerges. While I hate metaphors about babies and birthing, Dumbells deliver.  -- winch

Back with our fifth release on the slow moving always grooving Mind Meld Records. I thought about releasing this on Total Punk just to get a rise out of all you dunderheads who complain about the Retail Simps punk quotient but this a truly fantastic album and don't want it to get lost in the "what is punk discussion" rather than being taken for what it is. An infectious pop album full of quirky changes, interesting instrumentation, and beautiful harmonies. An album I find more to love in with each listen. I'll leave the rest of the gushing to Nic...

"Dumbells are my favourite new band to see live in Sydney since, well, when live music started happening again. They embody a quality apparent in many of my favourite Sydney groups, where pre-existing music scenes blur and new alignments form. Whatever forces brought Sam Wilkinson (Shrapnel, Sachet) , Jen May(Tee Vee Repairmann), Ben Schattner (Shrapnel, VIPP) and Ishka Edmeades (Tee Vee Repairmann, Satanic Togas....) together has unlocked a certain hard-to-describe quality of rock ‘n’ roll I personally yearn for.

It’s hard to quantify this particular quality of r’n’r without a long list of nerdish reference points, but I think it’s how non-aligned with any particular sub-genre, or era, or tacked on caricature-ish style they are in their approach to amateur rock music that makes them not just another band in the endless sea of music. 

On one hand, a child, or even a Pavement fan could immediately be wooed by the immediacy of the hooks, melodies and charismatic group dynamic expertly, but not too expertly, captured on ‘Up Late With Dumbells’. On the other hand, cold hearted cynics will have their record collector cockles warmed by a feeling akin to discovering Big Star’s Radio City or Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartment’s Bait & Switch. 

Dumbells cross examine the classic / independent rock dialectic in a manner that’s musically informed, but more importantly intuitive. They aren’t in reaction to, or embracement of, any micro-trend but embrace the big picture of being in a humble rock band.  Dumbells do shit with their guitars, bass, drums and voices that we all know feel good, natural and exciting, but maybe in a world rife with self consciousness and cynicism, often get lost in the sauce." - Nic Warnock (Repressed Records, R.I.P Society)

cassette version available from
chruesimuesi-records.bandcamp.com