What was the inspiration behind “New Year’s Eve,” and how did the personal yarn behind the lyrics shape the track’s vibe?
So long story short ‘New Year’s Eve’ is basically about how I met my girlfriend at the time except it wasn’t on New Year’s Eve though, but a similar party type setting. We met at this nightclub called “Monsoons” while I was still living in Darwin back in 2021. So anyways this song is about that encounter, before I could show her this song she broke up with me but I thought this was a pretty good song anyway so I kept it.
How has the band’s sound evolved since dropping Pull Yourself Together? Have you kept the same flavour or thrown in a few new twists?
Our last single before ‘New Year’s Eve’ was ‘Merch Guy Mike’s Favourite Song’ which was released back in February 29th this year and that song had more of a classic rock feel and was a bit heavier sounding. Most of our new stuff is sort of heading in that similar direction, so a little bit more traditional rock n’ roll sounding and a little bit experimental too. But in saying that though, ‘New Year’s Eve’ does have a lot of ‘Pull Yourself Together’ pop-punk vibes to it. We brought back our classic pop-punk sound just for this one.
What was it like working with a top-notch producer on “New Year’s Eve” instead of doing it all yourselves? Did the process feel like a step up from the usual DIY approach?
Definitely a step up, I mean you’re working with professionals and with better equipment so it’s a no brainer. Working with Ash and Ev from the Loud Noise Estate was a great experience! I’ll admit that I was kind of expecting a bit of a learning curve with working with them though. It was my first time working with a producer and I’ve just been so used to doing it all myself at the comfort of my own home for many years which is why I had that initial expectation but Ash and Ev were super easy to work with and are great at what they do!
Got any yarns about the recording process? Any moments where you thought, “Bloody oath, this is gonna be a ripper”?
Kind of, I do remember this exact moment though when we were tracking the drums, we decided to add China during the breakdowns of the song. When Jaime started playing with the China it just sounded amazing! It was at that moment I knew straight away that this song was gonna be a banger!
How does “New Year’s Eve” stack up against your earlier tracks? Is it in the same ballpark, or have you taken a different route?
I honestly think ‘New Year’s Eve’ could be the next crowd favourite! ‘Sugar Rush’ has been the favourite from our friends and fans for a long time but I think ‘New Year’s Eve’ will be the next ‘Sugar Rush’! But yeah like I said earlier though ‘New Year’s Eve’ does have similar pop-punk vibes to our first album but a little bit heavier in my opinion.
What can fans expect from the music video for “New Year’s Eve”? Did you go all out with a mad concept, or keep it more low-key?
So for the music video, we actually had this super original idea of getting drunk with our friends in front of a camera! So basically the setting of the music video is a house party gig, which is pretty pop-punk!
How did you tackle filming the music video? Did you bring in a pro to direct, or did you lads keep it DIY?
The video was directed by our friend Andrew Bromley. Andy is great at what he does, he also did the music video for ‘Merch Guy Mike’s Favourite Song’. It was fun and easy working with him which was why we asked him to work with us again for ‘New Year’s Eve’! The music video does have a bit of a DIY feel to it though. It kind of reminds me of one of those camcorder house party videos but yeah.
How’s it been moving from Darwin’s laid-back vibes to the hustle and bustle of Melbourne’s music scene? Any big changes?
Definitely a lot of changes, I’m loving it so far! There’s always something happening here in Melbourne which is great, just recently I went to a hip hop open mic night with a full band on a Tuesday night and that was great!
What’s on the horizon for Danger Den in 2024? Are you planning to hit the road or drop more tunes?
So we’re playing a show on October 19th, Saturday night at Revolver with our friends Jadedstate for their EP launch. After that we’ll be back in the studio again next year in early January to cook up more tunes!
How do you keep your sound true blue to pop-punk roots while still having a crack at new ideas?
Well I guess we just try not to overthink it really and just write songs that we want to play regardless of genres. If it sounds good to us that’s all that matters.
