INTERVIEW: DMA's
We had a chat with Matt Mason of DMA's to discuss the band's recent signing with I Oh You, their fast-paced success and what the future holds for the band.
Mid last month, tastemaker label I OH YOU excitedly announced a brand new signing; a band that was previously well unknown on a national level. This isn’t quite the case anymore.
Formerly referred to as Dirty Ma’s, Sydney three piece DMA’S stormed into the scene with their sweet acoustic ballad ‘Delete’ – the leading single taken from their debut self-titled EP. Turning the heads of many, it didn’t take long for the tune to reach a consistent play count on national radio; amping up listeners and creating great anticipation for the mini-album’s forthcoming release.
With an Australian East Coast tour now confirmed to celebrate the success of DMA’s first official drop of material, we briefly caught up with Matt Mason of the band to discuss the fast-paced and ongoing success of DMA’s, as well as what we can expect from their promising future.
What can we say? He's a man of few words...
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How and when did DMA’s form? Did you primarily meet through being in other bands?
"We started playing music together about two years ago. Just being a part of other bands, just hanging around, yeah."
What made you change your name from Dirty Ma’s to DMA’s?
"A couple of reasons like when people say it on the radio and shit, a lot of people would get it confused and say like Mars as in the planet; like M-A-R-S? And it just sounds better man."
For people who are yet to come across DMA’s, how would you describe the band’s sound?
"It sounds like pop rock I guess."
You’ve recently signed to I Oh You. What is it like being a part of their roster?
"Good, yeah it’s pretty exciting. Johann [Ponniah] seems to know what he’s doing."
You’ll be releasing the debut EP in a matter of days. How long did that take to write and record?
"Some of the songs on it we’ve had for years. So yeah, some of the songs are like five years old. Half of it was written in the last year."
So you didn’t really have a set time frame on it, it just kind of came together?
"Yeah, yeah. Like we wrote a lot of the songs on it ages ago so yeah. Recording took like two weeks, or maybe even one week actually."
And that was all done in Sydney?
"Yeah it was done at Johnny [Took] and Tommy [O’Dell]’s house."
What would you say is your favourite song off the EP?
"I guess ‘Play It Out’ is probably my favourite, mainly because I didn’t write any of it. I don’t know, I don’t really like – I like the songs that Johnny and Tommy write as opposed to the ones I do."
I’ve noticed the EP’s artwork was painted by Sydney artist Total Bore. Can we possibly expect another collaboration with him for something like merch in the future?
"I don’t know hey, maybe."
Who are you currently digging in Australia’s music scene?
"Yeah there’s a bunch of people man."
You’ve just announced an East Coast tour. What can we expect from a DMA’s live show?
"We’ve only played one show but I think it worked out pretty well. There’s like six people on stage, one plays a tambourine and stuff. Yeah, it’s good."
Who’ll be supporting you guys for those shows?
"I’m pretty sure Johnny’s little brother will be playing at the Goodgod show, him and his mate Rocky, they’re called like LCMT, they’re pretty sick."
Nice, but nothing locked in for Brisbane and Melbourne just yet?
"Yeah nah, I don’t know, I couldn’t say."
What else can we expect from DMA’s over the course of 2014?
"I guess just doing the EP and the tour for now. Like there are a couple of things happening but I don’t know if I’m allowed to say just yet. We might put out another EP or something at the end of the year. We’ll definitely release something."
The debut self-titled EP by DMA's is set to drop this Friday, 28th March via I Oh You. You can catch the band play Sydney warehouse Deus Ex Machina (98-104 Parramatta Rd, Camperdown) on the night of the release. Entry is free, though extremely limited, so you best get down early before it's too late! Doors at 8pm.
Words by Hannah Galvin.
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