WHENEVER dave have imagined the dream recording of their debut album they have always pictured Steve Alibini at the sound desk.
The American producer is the man behind the sound of iconic grunge records like Nirvana’s In Utero and The Pixies’ Surfer Rosa and in November he will add dave’s debut album to his extensive list of recordings.
Earlier this year Albini agreed to produce the Newcastle indie-rock three-piece and ever since dave has been busily saving to finance the four-day recording stint in Chicago.
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“Everywhere we’ve gone we’ve told the people who’ve recorded us that we want it to sound like Steve Albini,” dave frontman Noah Church said. “His stuff has always been the reference for us for what it should sound like.
“We’re hoping it’s the best way we can represent ourselves as a band.”
After releasing four EPs, including their latest effort Never Yoch Alone, expectations are high for dave’s debut album. The band have become one of Newcastle’s most beloved live acts and have built substantial fan bases in Sydney and Wollongong and their single Eggiwegs was voted the third best track of 2017 by Sydney’s Happy Magazine.
Their recent performance for the Newy Big Sound showcase at BigSound in Brisbane is also said to have attracted music label interest.
Dave know the debut album has the potential to truly break the band nationally, so making the most of the Albini’s expertise is crucial.
“We’re hoping he can capture our sound, our live sound,” dave drummer Gabriel Argiris said. “Sounding good live has always been our focus as a band and he’s meant to be one of the best at actually capturing that energy in recording.”
The band have 10 tracks written for the Albini sessions, which Church said was the most diverse set of songs he’s penned yet.
“Because this time I’m going in and doing an album, instead of four or five songs, I’ve been wanting to do anything,” Church said.
“So we have this song called Ultra Hard, which is probably our most intense song, then there’s Footy Socks which is our softest song. We’ve got a way bigger range on this album.”
Dave launch Never Yoch Alone on Saturday at Mayfield’s Equium Social.
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.
