Naarm/Melbourne duo Skydeck share new single ‘No Change’; sophomore album Coupon out Friday August 27

“Hooks! hooks! Hooks!”
Declan Byrne via triple j

Naarm/Melbourne’s Skydeck (AKA Dominic Kearton and Mitchum Clemens) today share new track ‘Guilty Of’. It’s the final single from the duo’s sophomore album, Coupon, out Friday August 27 via Dinosaur City Records, Osborne Again and Kingfisher Bluez digitally and on limited-edition 12” vinyl.

Listen HERE. Pre-order 12” vinyl HERE.

‘Guilty Of’ features Dom Kearton on vocals, channelling “drunk sad karaoke” energy as he pleads guilty over muffled synths, drum machines and a bouncing bass line.

Kearton says of the new single:

“The lyrics for this one are about the different types of phoney you are at different stages of your life. When I was younger I did a lot of weird and unnatural shit, trying to convince other people I was cool, taking things characters said in books I was reading and trying to pass them off as my own thoughts. It’s funny thinking back to that period of time and realising these days the only person I really lie to is myself.”

“Musically this song is a product of the environment it was recorded in. I never would have been able to record it in my share house, but luckily I was house sitting on Phillip Island and I could really lean in on the vocals. I sort of tried to channel a really sad drunk karaoke energy on the vocal takes and I’m pretty happy with the results. Treating a synth part as percussion is a move I pulled a few times on this album and I think it helps make the song less rigid and sloppier.”

‘Guilty Of’ follows Coupon singles ‘No Change’ and ‘Dogshot’, which saw praise and plays from the likes of ToneDeaf, triple j, Deafen County, BTR Today and Mindies, with rotation adds across FBi Radio, 2SER and RTRFM.

Skydeck is the project of Naarm/Melbourne duo Dominic Kearton and Mitchum Clemens. Live, the two are joined by Liam Parsons (Good Morning), Dainis Lacey and Ambrin Hasnain (Cool Sounds). 

Taking inspiration from cold, post-punk sounds of the 1980s, Skydeck makes use of FM synthesis and the bright, clean and sometimes artificial sounds it provides,  contrasted with distorted guitars and upbeat bass lines.

Sophomore album Coupon is the follow-up to Skydeck’s Australian Music Prize-nominated debut Eureka Moment (2019). While Eureka Moment was pieced together bit by bit, with lyrics applied to old unfinished demos years later, Coupon sees the band writing and recording in unison.  Though writing and recording at the same time, founding members and long-time friends Mitchum Clemens and Dominic Kearton were physically separated throughout the entire process: one in Mexico and the other back home in Australia.

Coupon was as much an artistic endeavour as it was a way to stay connected with each other over long distances, with songs and ideas acting like letters back and forth. Evidence of this can be heard through field recordings and phone memos scattered throughout songs.

Eureka Moment gestured towards an anti-capitalist sentiment, while Coupon sees the band less focused on observing society’s issues from afar, rather reflecting on their involvement within them.

Coupon is set for release digitally and on limited-edition 12” vinyl on Friday August 27 via Dinosaur City Records, Osborne Again and Kingfisher Bluez.