LAST DINOSAURS The Land Before Time

LAST DINOSAURS

The Land Before Time

With an ear for outrageously upbeat alternative anthems, Brisbane-based indie-rock quartet Last Dinosaurs are striving to create music that feels timeless, meaningful, and catchy as hell. JENNIFER PETERSON-WARD sat down with frontman Sean Caskey ahead of the release of their debut album In A Million Years. Last Dinosaurs play Amplifier on Saturday, April 14, and Mojos Bar on Sunday, April 15.

They were one of the buzz-bands at last year’s Splendour and Laneway festivals, where they won elated responses to their excitable brand of bright, danceable indie pop, and it’s not hard to understand why people were so excited. Last Dinosaur’s music is heavy on the handclaps and children’s TV melodies, which are played on traditional instruments (there’s nary a synth in sight) and sung by young men whose squeakily high-pitched, shouty falsettos are designed less to suggest androgyny or feminisation than boys in a heightened state of innocent, adolescent arousal.

When questioned about his band’s sound, vocalist Sean Caskey sums it up simply: “Good melodies. Good drumming. Good bass playing. We’re all extreme perfectionists and we work hard on all our songs.”

It is precisely this sense of fastidiousness which has resulted in Last Dinosaur’s debut record taking nearly two years to finish. Yet despite the temptation to release the album last year, Caskey says this gestation period was essential to the way In A Million Years turned out.

“We did have the opportunity to record earlier, but I remember at that point thinking that we didn’t even have enough songs yet. So we decided to hold off and wait another six to 12 months and record when we did. That was the best decision that we’ve ever made because about 80 per cent of the album was written in the last three to six months before recording. So had we not waited and been patient we would have written a completely different album,” he says.

With a musical finesse beyond their years, the four Brisbane lads have rocked stages with names like Ash, We Are Scientists, and Foals. As Caskey explains, these high profile shows have afforded the young outfit the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of their musical heroes.
“It’s strange because we’ve got to meet all these amazing bands in such a short space of time. There are so many bands that stand out – Foster The People, Foals, The Drums, The Strokes – well, actually just Albert [Hammond Jr, guitar], the rest of the band fucked off after their set,” Caskey says.

Yet for all that Last Dinosaurs have done in the last year, the highlight, as far as Caskey is concerned, would have to be chatting with chillwave superstar Twin Shadow when he toured here recently. “He’s not so much an influence as an inspiration,” he says, adding that his own band’s rising popularity hasn’t stopped him from indulging in some fan boy behaviour.

“Also, Phoenix is such a massive inspiration for us – they are just so fucking cool. When I got the opportunity to see one of their shows a few years ago it was just awesome,” Caskey laughs, adding that his over-excitement led to some inevitable stage-invading: “As soon as my feet hit the ground I went and hugged Thomas [Mars] the singer. He’s such a nice dude.”