Five piece indie groove pop rockers At The Dakota recently released their impressive new EP titled Stories. Launching to and ager audience, the band’s first single ‘Stumptail’ took out the People’s Choice category for NT Song of the Year.

Influenced by their surroundings and drawing inspiration from acts like Incubus, Kings of Leon and Cold War Kids, these guys are producing some of the most exciting indie rock we’ve heard in this second half of the year.

To celebrate the release of the band’s new EP Stories, they’ve given us a track by track run down of the making of the LP along with an accompanying stream. Check it out below and if you like what you’re haring be sure to pop by the band’s Facebook page for more info.

Peach Hat

“Lyrically, this song is probably the hardest to explain as the lyrics themselves are quite ridiculous and is strongly influenced by one of Dylan’s (vocalist/lyricist) favourite TV shows – ‘The Mighty Boosh’. ‘Peach Hat’ is a nod to one of his favourite episodes.

This song, in a nutshell, is centred on a villainous character named Jack de Flack and his gang of thugs. Jack is a troll-type character who is always up to no good and doesn’t care for the consequences.

The song musically has a “Sunday afternoon skate feel”, almost Reggae meets Yacht Rock, yet the content of the song and lyrically is quite chaotic and perceived as perplexing, ambiguous.”

Jonestown

“The idea of this song came out of nowhere, with the basis of the song lyrically originated through a jam session. The opening line “Come on down to Jonestown, welcome to new friends” really stuck with Dylan (vocalist) as it was almost like a salesperson inviting people to join the infamous Jonestown cult.

We like that the lyrical content tells more of a linear story – starting with the hope that people must have had when they joined the cult, ending with their demise and possible regrets they had for choosing that path. To a degree, it shows a perception of people running away from society and joining the circus.

Dylan’s thought process behind the song is something that crosses into his mind most weeks in terms of feeling that we ourselves would love to live more freely and get away from the world. The feeling and connection to ‘Jonestown’ as a song offered this in some strange, twisted way.

As a band, we enjoy the groove of this song and the way it sways along reminds us of enticing, almost seducing somebody into an idea or mentality. The topic is dark and could possibly be
offensive to some – but as a story, we feel it’s interesting and engaging and that’s where we like the songs to sit. It’s also a strong departure from ‘Peach Hat’, which shows some intentional contrast on our record.”

Stories

“The themes surrounding this song are very much about long distance relationships and the struggles attached to them; balancing up between the warmth and joy when you are together and the pain and sadness when it is time to say goodbye again. The ‘Stories’ angle to the song relates to Dylan’s experience and how he tried to deal with the hardship of his situation. He would distract himself and daydream, thinking of silly ideas and stories that had nothing to do with his relationship in order to keep moving forward with it.

There’s also an element of being unsure about the relationship. Is this the right thing to be doing? Will this really work? Investing so much time in someone who lives on the opposite side of the country? Can he really commit wholeheartedly?

Ultimately, it was worth it, as he now lives together with his girlfriend, and the hope and brightness in the song and lyrics reflects what this song truly is: a love song.

Musically, the simplicity of the rhythm guitar allows the lead guitar’s melody to cut through the mix and have the keys to provide a good body and air to the track. The way the song has been mixed brings the vocals to the front moreso than any other track on the record, allowing the lyrics to stand out, which is important to us because lyrically this is one of our favourite songs.”

Stumptail

“As you can see a pattern beginning to emerge; most of our songs are about interpersonal relationships and situations, which might be a hint as to why listeners are drawn to them.

Stumptail is about a one sided friendship. The type of friendship and who it is between is very much up to the listener. We feel a lot of people can identify with giving a lot of time and energy to someone and not getting much in return; being alienated and stepped on by people who are or you thought were your friends. The vagueness to the song allows the listener to make up their mind what is going on and not dissimilar to their own situations.

The melody was designed to be fun and catchy and without lyrics a listener probably wouldn’t pick up on the weight of these interpersonal issues. This song is upbeat and works great in a live setting, especially the vocal harmonies.”

If you like what you’re hearing pop by the band’s Facebook page for more info.

Upcoming Tour Dates

THURS 1ST OCTOBER 2015 – DARWIN RAILWAY CLUB, DARWIN FRI 2ND

OCTOBER 2015 – RIC’S BAR, BRISBANE*

SAT 3RD OCTOBER 2015 – SHAMROCK HOTEL, TOOWOOMBA

FRI 9TH OCTOBER 2015 – GRACE DARLING, MELBOURNE

SAT 17TH OCTOBER 2015 – HOTEL METRO, ADELAIDE

FRI 23RD OCTOBER 2015 – FOUR5NINE BAR, PERTH

SAT 24TH OCTOBER 2015 – PRINCE OF WALES, BUNBURY* SAT 31ST

OCTOBER 2015 – EPILOGUE LOUNGE, ALICE SPRINGS