Artists

Remember that summer when you were fresh out of high school, when impulsion was routine and everything was yearning to be learned or lusted for… maybe it was just last week…

Time is only a state of mind anyway; a notion reaffirmed after you lose all track of it listening to Last Dinosaurs debut In a Million Years.

Short explosive riffs meshed with hooky little melody lines and Caribbean-esque synth layers carry this album, but it’s the drum arrangements that give this indie-pop (or tropi-pop as I like to call it) some real texture and variation.

Sonically, In a Million Years isn’t a challenging listen in the sense that your inner ear isn’t weighted in a 10 minute haze of “what does it all mean” distortion; but that’s not to say the boys haven’t put a lot of thought into how each song peaks, troughs and explodes into colourful chorus.  It’s pop with thought - that’s for sure  - and you might think it sounds overly produced until you see these boys live: they are just that tight!

Lyrically, some intricate themes are explored, (Zoom, Time & Place) but generally what’s sung is simple and repetitive. But you know what – that’s okay! The Brisbane four-piece are young; and you want to feel that honest reflection from a band in every lick, not some “Lana Del Rey verbal re-gurge” they’ve never actually lived.

As someone who has lived through sentiments expressed in tracks like Weekend, “I’d die for you any day, my life’s over anyway, let’s go to an empty park, and talk until it’s really dark,” (I know I’m not alone right?) the lyrics mimic the uncomplicated beauty of being young and free – and there’s no age milestone you have to hurdle to enjoy the warm blanket of fond memories. Frontman Sean explains, in a refreshingly articulate manner, that he writes in “futuristic nostalgia” and you can feel exactly that, even between the lines… I’ll let him clarify just exactly what he means…

Stand out tracks would have to be "Zoom" (the first single), "I Can’t Help You", "Andy" (which is about illegally firing a high powered firearm), "Repair" and the above mentioned, "Weekend". Time & Place is also a certified tune; I admit I burnt their first EP out on which it headlined, but it seems they waited just enough time to refresh our memories.

What I found most interesting about Last Dinosaurs’ debut, is that I’ve become quite addicted to spinning it… and listening to now it as I write, I’m realising that list of favourite tracks is becoming harder to put a lid on. If that’s not a sign of a solid body of work, what is?

Last Dinosaurs, I think this just might be the beginning of finding your part in history. Can't wait to see what you come up with next.

Click on the album cover to get on it below.