DZ Deathrays (previously Denzel then DZ) are an Australian

dance-punk Dance-punk (also known as disco-punk) is a post-punk subgenre that emerged in the late 1970s, and is closely associated with the disco, post-disco and new wave movements.Rip It Up and Start Again: Post Punk 1978-1984. Simon Reynolds.Faber an ...

trio from

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

. Composed of Shane Parsons (vocals/guitar), Lachlan Ewbank (lead guitar/vocals) and Simon Ridley (drums), they put out two EPs before releasing their debut album, '' Bloodstreams'', in April 2012. The album won the

ARIA Award for Best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal Album The ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Music Award for Best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal Album, is an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises "the many achievements of Australians, Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. ...

at the

ARIA Music Awards of 2012 The 26th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) were a series of award ceremonies which included the 2012 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fin ...

. To date they have released six studio albums: '' Bloodstreams'', ''

Black Rat The black rat (''Rattus rattus''), also known as the roof rat, ship rat, or house rat, is a common long-tailed rodent of the stereotypical rat genus ''Rattus'', in the subfamily Murinae. It likely originated in the Indian subcontinent, but is n ...

'', '' Bloody Lovely'', ''Positive Rising: Part 1'', ''Positive Rising: Part 2'' and R.I.F.F

History

2008–2011: Early years

Parsons and Ridley (both from

Bundaberg, Queensland Bundaberg () is the major regional city in the Wide Bay-Burnett region of the state of Queensland, Australia. It is the ninth largest city in the state. The Bundaberg central business district is situated along the southern bank of the Burnett ...

, Australia) were initially the founding members of Brisbane band Velociraptor, and continue to play with the group. Following the formation of DZ Deathrays, the band's first performances occurred at Brisbane house parties. The debut recording for the band was an EP, titled ''Ruined My Life'', that was released in 2009 and its entire content was recorded live at a house party. The band's sophomore EP, ''Brutal Tapes'', was released in January 2011 on their Bandcamp. A Re-issue containing more songs was released by label I Oh You, in 2014.

2012–2013: ''Bloodstreams''

DZ Deathrays released their debut album, '' Bloodstreams'', in April 2012 and received praise from

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...

, with reviewer Laura Snapes writing that the album is "more than worth going deaf to." The album was co-produced by electro artist Richard Pike and was recorded in Queensland during a two-week period. It was released in the UK in May 2012 on the Hassle label and ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' reviewer Kelly Murray explained: "This album has the potential to make your little sister want to shave her head and invest in mock leather hotpants. It’s the penned seduction of a weekend of irresponsibility and a Monday full of inferior excuses."

2014–2016: ''Black Rat''

The band's second album was recorded with producer Burke Reid at the Grove Studios complex, located adjacent to the Strickland Forest, north of

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia, in January 2014. The band recorded with Reid for a two-week period—a 9 January

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

post from the band read: "Producer Burke Reid tinkering away at about 3am. Sounding brutal." The band's press release for the album states that the recording is "a rich, deep collection of sounds, textures and arrangements". In the promotional material that accompanied review copies of the album, Parsons described the album as "definitely a night-time record. After 9pm; that's where it finds its place." In early April 2014, the band signed with the

Infectious Records infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable disea ...

music company for the release of ''Black Rat'' in the United Kingdom (UK). The band toured the UK during April 2014, appearing at the

Liverpool Sound City Liverpool Sound City is an annual music festival and industry conference held in Liverpool, England. It was founded in 2008 by Dave Pichilingi. Sound City was located in Liverpool City Centre venues, such as The Kazimier, The Zanzibar and the ...

event, prior to the UK release of the album in August 2014. The duo released their second studio album ''Black Rat'' in both Australia and the United States (US) in May 2014. In early May 2014, writing for the ''

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

'' newspaper, music journalist Andrew McMillen awarded ''Black Rat'' 3.5 stars out of a possible 5. McMillen describes ''Bloodstreams'' as comparatively juvenile alongside ''Black Rat'', and writes that the more mature sound better suits the duo, as they move beyond their "trash party" origins. McMillen further praises the album's 11 songs as a "significant step forward" and concludes: "... it's 'Black Rat''the sound of a confident band torn between its populist, party-friendly beginnings and a new-found ability to embrace glimpses of beauty amid the sonic destruction." On 18 May, the album peaked at No. 23 on the ARIA Charts for one week.

2017–2018: ''Bloody Lovely''

The duo released the single "Shred for Summer" in August 2017, it placed within Australian radio station Triple J's Hottest 100, 2017 at no. 67. Their next single "Bad Influence" was released in September, with another, "Total Meltdown" following in November. "Total Meltdown" just missed out placing no. 109 within the Hottest 200 of 2017. The three singles would later be included in their third studio album. Their third studio album, ''Bloody Lovely'', was released on I Oh You Records and

Alcopop! Records Alcopop! Records is a British independent record label, run by Jack Clothier and Kevin Douch formed in East Oxford, 2006. The label works with DITZ, DZ Deathrays, Johnny Foreigner, Fight Like Apes, Anamanaguchi, Peaness, TIGERCUB, Gaffa T ...

on 2 February 2018.

Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...

picked it as their feature album of the week. Three days after the album was released the single "Like People" included in the album was released. The music video for the single featured one of the original members of

The Wiggles The Wiggles are an Australian children's music group formed in Sydney in 1991. As of 2022, the group members are Anthony Field, Lachlan Gillespie, Simon Pryce, Tsehay Hawkins, Evie Ferris, John Pearce (entertainer), John Pearce, Caterina Mete ...

Murray Cook Murray James Cook, AM (born 30 June 1960) is an Australian musician, actor, and DJ. Cook was one of the founding members of the children's band the Wiggles from 1991 to 2012. Cook provided guitar, vocals, and songwriting in the group, and rem ...

. On 18 February, the album peaked at No. 4 on the

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...

and remained there for a total of two weeks. Then-touring guitarist Lachlan Ewbank helped in writing the album and was considered a fully-fledged member of the band. He was later officially inducted as a full-time member of the band. On 14 September the band joined with The Gooch Palms for

Like a Version ''Like a Version'' is a long-running weekly segment on Australian youth radio station Triple J. It involves musicians playing two songs live in the Triple J studio, one of their own songs and then a cover version. The series was created by pres ...

on Triple J where they played their original, "Like People", and their cover of "

Love Shack "Love Shack" is a song by American new wave band the B-52's from their fifth studio album, ''Cosmic Thing'' (1989). It was released on June 20, 1989, and was produced by Don Was. The song was a comeback for the band, following their decline in ...

" by the B52s.

2019–present: ''Positive Risings'' and ''R.I.F.F''

On 10 January 2019, via DZ Deathrays' Twitter, the trio stated that they were about to commence recording their fourth studio album. On 14 January, it was announced that DZ Deathrays would perform a national tour titled "Tour With the Lot". The tour is set to run from March to April with support from Moaning Lisa and The Buoys. On 4 February, they confirmed that their fourth studio album was completed, further details are yet to be announced. On 1 March 2019, coinciding with the beginning of their Tour With the Lot, DZ Deathrays released a new single entitled "Front Row Hustle". A reworking of their track "Afterglow" from their 2018 album, '' Bloody Lovely'', remixed by Trials of A.B. Original. It features Briggs, also of A.B. Original, and rising star Jesswar. An accompanying music video preceded the single's release. On 14 June, their fourth studio album '' Positive Rising: Part 1'' was confirmed for a release of 30 August. On the same day, the trio released a new single "IN-TO-IT" alongside an accompanying music video. In October 2020, the band released "Fired Up", the lead single from '' Positive Rising: Part 2'', which was released on 9 July 2021. On 5 April 2023 The band announced the forthcoming release of their 6th studio album '' R.I.F.F'', proceeded by the singles "Paranoid", "King B" and "Tuff Luck". In an album review, Ellie Robinson from ''

'' said "The title stands for ''Remember It's for Fun'', and here DZ Deathrays wholeheartedly embody that ethos."

Touring

DZ Deathrays have toured throughout over 15 countries, including Australia, the UK, the US and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. In the promotional material for the band's second album, Parsons explained that the band had spent the preceding two years drinking and touring, a period in which the songs for ''Black Rat'' were created. To promote ''Bloodstreams'', the DZ Deathrays performed at festivals such as the

Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fest ...

(UK), the A Perfect Day Festival (Villafranca di Verona, Italy),

Splendour in the Grass Splendour in the Grass (commonly referred to as Splendour) is an annual Australian music festival held at the North Byron Parklands in Yelgun, New South Wales. Since its inauguration, the festival has also been held in various locations near ...

(Australia) and St Jerome's Laneway Festival (Australia), and headlined the ''NME'' stage at

The Great Escape Festival The Great Escape Festival is a four-day music festival held in Brighton and Hove, England every year in May. It is operated by MAMA Festivals and showcases new music from a variety of genres. The festival was founded in 2006 and hosts roughly ...

, held in Brighton and Hove, UK. The band's performance at the US South by Southwest (SXSW) event in Austin,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

was shortened, due to the extreme volume of their music. Musical touring partners include Blood Red Shoes, TRUST,

Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...

and Unknown Mortal Orchestra.

Influences

In April 2014, Ridley identified seven albums that "changed his life" for the Australian ''Tone Deaf'' music website. Included in the list are ''Smash'' by

The Offspring The Offspring is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Garden Grove, California, in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Dexter Holland, Bryan "Dexter" Holland, ...

, which was not only the first album that Ridley owned, but "also the first album with swearing on it";

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

's first self-titled album, "a psych up album for nights when I'm too tired but need to party"; Air's ''Moon Safari'', which is an album that was listened to after Ridley would "come home from work every day" and "melt into the couch"—he stated that he now listens to the album on a weekly basis; and ''Rust in Peace'' by

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...

, praised by Ridley for being "Metal how it should be!"

Members

Current members * Shane Parsons – lead vocals, guitar (2008–present) * Simon Ridley – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2008–present) * Lachlan Ewbank – guitar, backing vocals (2018–present; touring musician 2015–2018) Current touring musicians * Luke Henery – bass (2023–present) Former touring musicians * Mitchell 'Mood' Gregory – guitar (2014–2015)

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

Music videos

Awards and nominations

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as

AIR Awards The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. History The inaugural 2006 awards were held at Blacket Hot ...

) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. , - , rowspan="2" ,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, rowspan="2" , ''Bloodstreams'' , Best Independent Album , , - , Best Independent Hard Rock or Punk Album , , - ,

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, ''Black Rat'' , Best Independent Hard Rock or Punk Album , , - ,

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, ''Bloody Lovely'' , Best Independent Hard Rock, Heavy or Punk Album , , - ,

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, ''Positive Rising: Part 1'' , Best Independent Punk Album or EP , , - ,

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, ''Positive Rising: Part 2'' , Best Independent Punk Album or EP , , -

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

are a set of annual ceremonies presented by

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...

(ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the

music of Australia The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions o ...

. They commenced in 1987. ! , - ,

, ''Bloodstreams'' , Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album , , , - , rowspan="2",

, rowspan="2", ''Black Rat'' , Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album , , rowspan="2", , - , Best Cover Art , , - ,

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, ''Bloody Lovely'' , Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album , , , - ,

, ''Positive Rising: Part 1'' , Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album , , , - ,

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, ''R.I.F.F'' , Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album , , , -

J Awards

The

J Awards The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards, established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J, and which also extend to sister stations, Triple J Unearthed and Double J. The awar ...

are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

's youth-focused radio station

. They commenced in 2005. , - ,

, "Like People" , Australian Video of the Year ,

National Live Music Awards

The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016. , - , rowspan="2",

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, themselves , Live Hard Rock Act of the Year , , - , Simon Ridley (DZ Deathrays) , Live Drummer of the Year , , - ,

, themselves , Live Hard Rock Act of the Year , , -

Queensland Music Awards

The Queensland Music Awards (previously known as Q Song Awards) are annual awards celebrating

Queensland, Australia Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, ...

's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006. (wins only) , - ,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, "Gebbie Street" , Rock Song of the Year , , - ,

, themselves , Export Achievement Award , , - ,

, "Still No Change" , Heavy Song of the Year , , - ,

, "Paranoid" , Heavy Song of the Year , , - ,

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, "My Mind Is Eating Me Alive" , Heavy Song of the Year , , -

References

External links

Official websiteI Oh You
{{Authority control ARIA Award winners Musical groups from Brisbane Rock music duos 2008 establishments in Australia Musical groups established in 2008 Australian alternative rock groups Alcopop! Records artists