The Now Sound of Today: Dumbells

For the uninitiated, Dumbells is an oddity. Their debut album Up Late With isn't even out yet, but in a sorta charming way, it already feels like it will be one of the most misunderstood albums of the year. With clear nods to pop institutions (Big Star, Let's Active, Dump Truck, The Fall-Outs), the Sydney group made up of overeducated popsters Ben Schattner (Shrapnel, V.I.P.P., Romance), Sam Wilkinson (Shrapnel, Sachet), Jennifer May (Tee Vee Repairman), and Ishka Edmeades (Tee Vee Repairman, Satanic Togas, Gee Tee) undercut rock 'n' roll conventions with an unsettling edge of fragile melodies, peeling guitars, rugged harmonies, and absurdist wit into a sonic dissertation infused with strangeness and sharp angles. Across tracks like "Automation" and "Mist," ideas and grooves emerge and percolate briefly before strumming things off in a totally different, but fully realized direction. And despite the sometimes challenging nature of their songs, Dumbells manage to connect emotionally through their catchy and jagged brand of garage-pop melodicism, making Up Late With a strong first impression that feels refreshing. In a new interview, we chatted with the group about their origins, covering NRBQ, and the memories made when recording the debut album in a sweltering shed.

What have you all been up to as of late? Anything good you've been digging into you'd like to share? 

Ben: Listening to lots of music and swimming a lot over summer. Sam recently turned me onto Raspberries Side 3 and I can't stop listening to Margo Guyran 27 demos. I love the song "Please Believe Me"—it's so damn good.

Jen: I've also been going to the beach a bunch. Watching stupid 2000s Australian TV shows with Ishka, and old film noirs. This is possibly embarrassing but I only just got into Royal Trux. I never liked them because I heard the not-great reunion album first (after seeing an Inzane Johnny meme years ago). My coworkers would always play crazy stuff like Twin Infinitives and eventually wore me down. I bought Cats and Dogs the other week and it's great, obviously. I also got Atomic Rooster's Death Walks Behind You the other day on Ish and Cam's (from Gee Tee) recommendation. Also love the new Shrapnel record. Big rock dog summer. 

For readers unfamiliar, tell us about the origins of Dumbells. How did you all meet and decide to start making music together? The group started with just Ben and Sam first right?

Ben: So I think me and Sam had a few songs and wanted to play them in a band. I knew Ishka because we had worked at a bakery together and had both played in another hardcore band (STRL). We asked Ishka to play drums and then he showed Jen the songs and she was keen to play as well. 

Jen: Dumbells was the first band I played in. I heard Ishka listening to the original tape and loved it. I was a fan of Ben's solo tapes and Sam's other band Sachet. I asked to join even though I didn't know how to play bass. Apparently I didn't say a word the entire first practice. They were very kind and patient [laughs]. Now we're all really good friends.

What are some fun facts that every fan should know about "The" Dumbells? 

Ben: I recently got given 15 pound dumbells and they're my first ever dumbells I've owned in my life. They're heavy and they've been in my car for six weeks. 

Ishka: Jen played the slap bass in the Seinfeld theme, Sam was the first skateboarder to land a 900, Ben was on Australian Idol and I invented Aioli.

The first time I heard Dumbells was from the demo tape that came out in 2021. What's the story behind that? 

Sam: Ben and I had been friends for a little while and toyed with making some recordings together. This was the first bunch of completed songs.

Jen: The tape was just Sam and Ben. I loved the original demo tape they did, there were more songs but we didn't really want to put anything online. Ishka only chucked up those three songs because we needed something on the internet to book a show. 

Ishka: Yeah I think the OG tape has about six songs from the Sam and Ben demos. We sold a couple at shows and gave some to friends, some with extra tracks we recorded together later. Ben sent those through to me asking if I wanted to come along to a "practice." I don't think I'd met Sam at that point, but I had seen his bands Shrapnel and Sachet before. 

What can you tell me about your new album Up Late With? What insight can you share about how, where, and when it was recorded?

Jen: We recorded most of the album on tape in Sam's shed on a 40 degree (105? F) day in Summer 2024. We had been playing together off and on for a few years, it was COVID era so shit kept getting in the way. We would mostly just practice and drink heaps of beers. I don't think we actually got to play that many shows. We wanted to get something out to document that era because we felt like we'd been playing a bunch of those songs for ages and wanted to jam other stuff. The second track "Seeds" was a later addition we jammed and recorded one night in our new practice space.

Ishka: Recording was super fun and very relaxed even though we were all melting. Sam recorded the album in his shed (Garys Country Kitchen), with a few extra overdubs recorded at our practice spot and homes. Stoked on the drum sound, thanks Sam! A couple of beers and a trip to Banksia bakery helped too. 

What are some favorite memories you have putting this record together? 

Jen: Banksia bakery labneh za'atar salad manoush. Sam opening Ben's amp to fix a speaker rattle on the fly and saying, "It's fine, just nobody touch this bit or you'll die!"

Ishka: Memories are hazed by beer but Sam's daughter Billie coming in and headbanging when we were listening back is a highlight. 

Who designed the cover art and what was the idea behind it?  

Sam: It's an old "gas" station (or servo as we'd say) converted into a lawn mower repair joint. Pyramids of rusty mowers available for parts. I took a picture and Jen made it arty. Good layout.

Jen: I did the art, Sam was listening to heaps of Alice Cooper and wanted to rip off the Easy Action font so I did that by hand and went from there. I always wanted to do a hand colored Xerox cover. I was nagging the boys to send me a photo of something weird and Sam found the mower mountain, which was perfect. I like xeroxing everything because you can make sketchy phone photos look cool.

Diving into some of my favorite toons here, what can you tell me about the opening cut "Clear"? 

Sam: A Ben track about being bored painting shit at work.

Ishka: This was the first track I heard when Ben sent me over the original demo. Even though we've been playing it for ages it's still fun to play live.

The label shared with us today the track "Hammer." What's the story behind that one?

Ben: The song is kind of about getting better at saying no to stuff. I think that's probably something most people can relate to. It's definitely hard to tell when the lyrics are about hammers and kings but that's what I was thinking!

How did the track "Bubbles" come about? 

Ben: That song is about getting your bubble burst. Again the lyrics are very random, almost kind of like a collage of words whoops. 

Not to be hyper specific here, but "Mist" reminds me of portions from Pavement's live rendition of "Folk Jam" on Jools Holland in '99. What can you tell me about that track? 

Sam: I can't say I've seen it. Just a hypnotic riff jam.

Ishka: We were going for Corey Feldman & The Angels' live on The Today Show vibe, but that will do.

Whose idea was it to cover NRBQ's "It's Not So Hard"? 

Sam: Mine, we're partial to the Q.

Ishka: Up the Q!

"Apples" is another one of my favorites. What do you recall from putting that one together?

Ben: I think we all workshopped the lyrics but the main idea was about getting old. Like an old apple or something. Another silly metaphor from Dumbells :0.

Ishka: Are we artists? 

With already a devoted following in Sydney, what do you hope newly-converted fans in  America take away from this record, especially with it getting released on Mind Meld?

Ishka: We're a serious bunch of cunts.

Thanks again for contributing "AC" to last year's compilation tape. Where did that track come from? 

Ben: We recorded that with Toby Baldwin. "AC" for Alex Chilton, we're all obsessed!!!

Ishka: That tune was from a lost recording session at Sam's old shed in Turrella. We recorded with Toby Baldwin (The Grey Wiggle) and it sounded awesome, a bunch of stuff we later re-recorded for the LP. I don't know what the lyrics are about, maybe Ben's singing about taxes.

I heard reports about a possible Dumbells trip to America. 

Ishka: Anything is possible!

Any advice or last words you'd like to share with our readers?

Sam: Don't you eat that yellow snow.

Jen: Clean your tape heads before you start recording.

Ishka: The world is a vampire.

Ben: Give yourselves pats on the back. 

Up Late With Dumbells is out March 21st on Mind Meld Records and Chrüsimüsi Records.