by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
We’ve said it before but it bears repeating, Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice stays busy. The Melbourne based quintet have been at a sprint over the past five years, the once solo project of Dougal Shaw becoming a fine tuned collective, a band seemingly as busy in the studio as they are on the road. Following last year’s excellent and experimental BUBBLE record (billed as a “mixtape” upon release), the band return with a new proper album, their third full length, Total Reality. Due out on April 19th via the always reliable combo of Marthouse Records (Gut Health, Bench Press, Tali & The Arms) and Erste Theke Tontraeger (Checkpoint, Prison Affair, Public Interest), it’s fair to say that each successive DSUP record is better than the last, and they’ve definitely upped the ante on Total Reality. A blend of synth punk, art rock, no wave, krautrock, and post-punk, Shaw and co. really get thinks shaking throughout, an album carefully designed yet inherently punk in spirit.
Having shared “Escalator Man” last fall, Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice come warped back into the groove with “Celebration,” a song equal parts staccato and hypnotic. The band lock in, with a bass progression setting the tone as it wriggles underneath bleeding saxophone, hand-claps, and contorted vocal gymnastics. It’s a song that plays with repetition yet built with layering at its core, one idea begets another. While they sing of celebrations with radiant gang vocals, you get the idea there’s a sardonic sensibility to the vibrant lyrical delivery. They’re celebrating the pursuit of living one day at a time, avoiding complete crumble by being there for loved ones, finding strength in community.
Speaking about the song, Shaw shared:
“Celebration is riffing on this capitalist wellness dystopia that’s constantly telling you everything’s ok when you can see it’s pretty cooked. It’s a celebration of getting out of bed in the morning. It’s a celebration of the communities we build to support and lift each other up.”
Tour Dates:
Feb 18 - NZ, Wainuiomata, Camp A Low Hum
Feb 21 - NZ, Te Whanganui-a-tara/Wellington, Valhalla w/ The Pink Frosts, Relay Tapes (Bris)
Feb 22 - NZ, Papa-i-Oea/Palmerston Nth, The Stomach w/ Persimmon
Feb 23 - NZ, Wainuiomata, Camp A Low Hum
Feb 24 - NZ, Wainuiomata, Camp A Low Hum
Mar 7 - OZ, Meanjin/Brisbane, Black Bear Lodge w/ Radium Dolls, Guppy
Mar 9 - OZ, Gubbi Gubbi/Sunshine Coast, TBA
Mar 16 - OZ, Naarm/Melbourne, The Tote w/ Screensaver, It Thing, O.M.R., Silicone Prairie DJ (USA)
Mar 22 - OZ, Eora/Sydney, Bootleggers w/ Fungas, O.M.R.
Mar 23 - OZ, Dharawal/Gong, Diceys w/ Our Carlson, Twine, Saunter