A Quick Chat with Dirt Road Wave

What are the origins of Dirt Road Wave? Where did it start?
It all started at a backyard BBQ when we got chatting about putting a band together. Iain, our singer, hadn’t been in a proper band before, but as a graveyarder and fill-in announcer on community radio station 3RRR, we figured it was almost the same as being a frontman, so we recruited him on the spot — and for his impeccable taste in music, of course.

Next, we hit up our neighbour Mick, who used to play drums in the classic Mornington Peninsula band Filthy Habits, to see if he was keen to dust off the kit and have a jam. Before long, we were jamming on weeknights in Mick’s lounge room, into what became our social musical direction — punk rock!

Tell us a bit about the new album. What does it mean to you?
We started recording the album with Redro Redriguez in his lounge room — it was a great experience working with him. Sadly, Red fell ill before we could finish, and we didn’t get the chance to complete the recording. RIP Red.

We later tried to resurrect those early sessions, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Eventually, we teamed up with Andy Simpson from the rehearsal studio we jammed at, and that turned out to be a great call.

To make the most of our studio time, we tightened up the songs by rehearsing out at a local horse racecourse, which gave us the space to really lock in. It’s been a heavy but inspiring journey, and we’re proud of what we’ve achieved together — especially bringing it all to life on vinyl.

Are there any inspirations you look to beyond music when writing or performing?
The inspiration for the songs not only comes from our favourite bands but also from socially conscious, day-to-day observations in an ever-increasingly absurd world — from a very Australian perspective. Sadly, topics bands were singing about 40–50 years ago are still, or even more, relevant today.

Name the five songs that have informed your songwriting more than any others.
Jack – Bad Dreems
This Perfect Day – The Saints
S’n’M TV – The Celibate Rifles
Steve & Danno – Radio Birdman
Girl in the Sweater – Hard-Ons

What Australian artists are you listening to at the moment?
The Peep Tempel, Radio Birdman, CIVIC, Stiff Richards, Celibate Rifles, Tropical Fuck Storm, C.O.F.F.I.N, Beasts of Bourbon.

How do you hope your music might impact listeners?
We hope the lyrics connect with people’s everyday experiences — they’re really just observations that a lot of folks probably already think about but might not have heard put into a song before. And more than anything, we hope the energy captured on the record gets you fired up!