IT’S a collaboration many Australian music fans have been speculating about for years.
Newcastle-raised Silverchair legend Daniel Johns finally released his first single on Friday with Empire Of The Sun and The Sleepy Jackson frontman, Luke Steele, titled No One Defeats Us.
The duo have called themselves DREAMS, fitting given the tags of “songwriting genius” that have often been attached to Johns and Steele, who are separately responsible for classics like Straight Lines and Walking On A Dream and 29 ARIA awards.
No One Defeats Us was recorded in Steele’s studio in Los Angeles and is more reminiscent of Empire Of The Sun’s back catalogue rather than Silverchair.
The upbeat dance track is dominated by a funky guitar riff and a defiant shout-out chorus.
“No One Defeats Us says lyrically what our goal is, it's a journey into our vision of the future,” Johns said.
“It's a very simple song, it has no chorus, it feels like a mantra. When Luke and I are making music, everything disappears and we become like teenage explorers, we go into our world, we are so brave when we are together, we try things that we might not try for other people.”
DREAMS will make their debut performance at Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on April 13.
They are the only band ever to be booked for the iconic Californian festival before releasing any music and will be the highest-billed Australian act on the line-up that also includes The Weeknd, Beyonce and Eminem.
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
