Newcastle alternative punk outfit Dead Mall have kicked off their next chapter with the release of ‘RATS’, a blistering new single that sees the band embracing a darker, heavier and more aggressive sound.
The Dead Mall track marks the group’s first new music since releasing their debut album SUPERLIMINAL last year, arriving after months spent touring Australia’s east coast and writing material for their next record.
While fans have come to expect Dead Mall’s blend of punk, alternative rock and offbeat storytelling, ‘RATS’ takes a noticeable step into metalcore territory.
Recorded, mixed and produced by guitarist Darcy Long before being mastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer Alan Douches (Converge, Misfits, Every Time I Die), the single strips away layers of production in favour of raw intensity.
Accompanying the release is a striking music video Inspired by Donnie Darko, David Lynch’s Rabbits and the unsettling visuals of Chat Pile, the clip follows Burns as he stalks a mysterious rat like figure before the hunter unexpectedly becomes the hunted.
Dead Mall ‘Rats’
Stripping things back
Explaining the band’s approach, Long said:
“on RATS we really wanted to strip things back a bit in terms of production, letting the performance and aggression take centre stage on the track. We took a lot of inspiration from classic metalcore bands like Poison The Well and Every Time I Die, trying to incorporate that dynamic mix between chaos and a more melodic approach.”
Lyrically, Dead Mall continue drawing inspiration from unlikely places. Previous songs have referenced everything from the original Australian Big Brother to forgotten Saturday Night Live sketches, while ‘RATS’ takes cues from the satirical writings of The Church of the SubGenius.
Frontman Ruairi Burns explained:
“The lyrics took inspiration, in part, from the pamphlets by The Church of the SubGenious. They were a bizarre parody religion that would publish what were essentially zines, full of satirical religious phrases like ‘eternal salvation or triple your money back’ or ‘The World Ends Tomorrow and YOU MAY DIE!’. If you watch the music video for one of our first single ‘Chris Martian’ (2024), you can see a bunch of their images and phrases flash across the screen in certain parts.
“The song plays off that kind of imagery, violent suburban absurdity. It’s dark, because the future is bleak, but it has a playfulness to it. (‘It’s sad to see a family torn apart by something as simple as suburban dogs’.)”
Dead Mall will headline a hometown launch show at Newcastle’s King Street Hotel on Thursday, August 7th, joined by Sydney outfit Homesick and local supports Grip Down and Written On The Body.
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