Aussie three-piece DMA’s have released their fifth studio album, this time, it’s a self-titled album with 11 new tracks.
The artwork has a striking red background with a white bold font for DMA’s and what appears to be masking tape across it – it’s simple, yet slick and would stand out on your shelf or within your collection of vinyl.
The band have been teasing new music for a little while, playing the odd new track at festivals and gigs.
Their last album “How Many Dreams” received a brilliant response following it’s release in 2023, so it’s safe to say I had semi-decent expectations as a minimum.
Starting at the top, we have the track “El Alamein”…
It has a very immediate, almost funky twang to begin with and Tommy’s vocals are very quick to cut through, it has this almost distance to the vocals, which I usually would hate, but I actually rate it in this context, it has a certain charm to it and blends beautifully to build into this surreal anthem, the lyrics feel powerful and do feel like they glide through the ears.
It did take me another listen to take the lyrics in completely, but only because I was just enjoying the track in it’s full form, it’s very easy to listen to and a cracking opening track.
“My Baby’s Place” is the second offering and it’s time to switch it up…
This track is already quite melancholic compared to the first, not necessarily in a depressive or negative feel, it still has quite an upbeat instrumental, but the emotion feels like it’s taken over a bit more ownership in this, feeling a bit more raw and understated, more personal if you like.
DMA’s frontman Tommy O’Dell on stage at Neighbourhood Weekender 2026 in Warrington
Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
I also really like that it dips up and down to softer tones across some of the track, it just highlights a bit more of the musicianship that DMA’s are capable of, a slow burner for me, but an excellent track none-the-less.
“Hurracane” follows, and this feels like a hybrid of the first two styles of track…
It does have this more acoustic feel and does also have an immediate feel-good factor about the instrumental, it did remind me of the instrumental in “Better Man” by Courteeners, which I love, but it has a softer, slower feel to it and the lyrics speak from the heart, like “crash through my mind like a hurracane” – it does talk about that passion and want. – a very relatable track for sure.
Up next is “Killing Time” and DMA’s are switching it up again!
It’s faster still this time, and it feels like the song is climbing higher and higher to reach a pinnacle, just as you get that sense of euphoria, they switch it up and slow it down, it does really keep you guessing!
The vocals feel a tad lost within the instrumental in this one for me, but that said, the lyrics do appear to match up with the single title, it is fast, getting through as much as you can in little time, keeping yourself distracted whilst waiting for what you desire most, so I think it is subliminal messaging, which is clever – it does reach a pinnacle in the end and ties off nicely.
“Heatin Park” is next and I was not expecting that intro!
Now this was already released as a single a few months before and I’ve avoided it until writing this so I could give a genuine first opinion on it! It’s very slow, almost ghost like, to begin with, it sort of reminded me of Linkin Park’s style (ironic given the title) but it does have this building, euphoric twist on it that consistently builds again, if there’s one thing that DMA’s are good at, it’s building into tracks and teasing into a big chorus or ending, this demonstrates just that.
This definitely feels a bit rockier and I really rate it, will probably go off live, infact, I’ll be disappointed if it doesn’t, has the ability to get people singing, bouncing and bring people together, definitely my favourite so far!
We’re over halfway now and next is “Emailz”…
We’ve gone back to the softer, acoustic feel, it has what sounds like a beautiful piano instrumental in the background and it really is striking, it brings a real different side to the band and the guitar is really complimentary to it, despite feeling wildly different, a blend that works.
Tommy’s vocals in this are stunning in this, they really shine and dare I say I felt a little emotional listening to this, it just panged at the heart strings a little bit, it felt relatable, allowed for me to feel my inner self a bit and just relax and enjoy it, quite a feeling and was suddenly a contender for my favourite track on the album.
“One and Only” is next and we’re back to a faster track!
It took some time for this to settle after the last track and admittedly a couple of listens, purely because of the switch up in tempo and to adjust (thanks to the neurodiverse brain!) it was a bit overwhelming, but after calming and listening again a few times, it was just pure gold, the intro was probably a bit too heavy for me after the previous track, but it was a great offering and definitely a different kind of love song.
“Dancing Luck” is another slowed down track and I welcomed the placement of this after an upbeat party of “One and Only”…
This is definitely drawing on the more sombre side of feelings, I feel like it’s drawing on the feelings and experiences of relationships, especially of how up and down they can be, this again, I feel can draw a lot of relatability for a lot of listeners, especially those who feel like they’re constantly rolling the dice and gambling on their feelings, it has that certain charm about it that just feels connected, it’s difficult to explain, so I’d honestly just listen to the track and let it do the talking, it’s beautiful.
Another slower number next with “Concrete”…
This is the style I love best with DMA’s – this just makes their talents individually and as a band shine through and the fact they can experiment with it whilst being consistent is a talent difficult to master.
The instrumental just makes you feel good, it sucks you in and has this warm-fuzzy feeling about it, the lyrics don’t have to necessarily feel in a particular way, it just feels dreamy and let’s you wander and interpret it how you see fit, a very lovely track.
We’re on the penultimate track now with “Windows”…
This is an instant goer with Tommy’s vocal’s cutting in and has almost a gospel like echo on it and it hooked me straight away, the guitar instrumental is a stunning accompaniment to it.
This was easy to settle into, with the lyrics easy to take in as well, there is such a relatability to the lyrics here and a really interesting way of putting different emotions in different metaphors.
“I’ll keep all my windows open, until you’re out of reach” was particularly interesting to me and made me draw back on my past experiences with friends, potential lovers etc – it’s quite thought provoking.
The only criticism I have is I thought the ending of the track was quite abrupt for the tempo and style of it, but otherwise, another stunning offering.
And we’re onto the eleventh and final track, “Distance” and I was hoping for a little party to finish off…
I wasn’t disappointed, it immediately had this fun intro that hooks you and gets you bobbing your head in unison with the music, settling you in and then just as you think that’s it, the vocals twist up and go up a level or two and it just made me want more!
It definitely got my foot tapping and a little boogie in my chair but this was definitely the perfect way to end the album, lovely!
Well, that’s that! Overall it is a brilliant album, beautifully mastered and really shows off the talents of Tommy, Johnny and Mason, I feel like they get better every year and this album is no exception, I’ll be very surprised if it’s not in the top 10 of the charts, it’s easy to listen to, it’s a beautiful balance of fun, emotional and melancholic and has plenty of potential for more to build from here, bloody beautiful.
FIND ALL THINGS DMA’S HERE
IT’S FESTIVAL SEASON, ALL THE LATEST LINE UPS AND FESTIVAL NEWS HERE AND INTERVIEW NEWS HERE
