Like There's No Tomorrow

After years living in the same house, they now find themselves on opposite sides of the planet, but that hasn't stopped The Datsuns from producing their phenomenal rock album of the year contender, Death Rattle Boogie. “It's pretty weird. I don't really think about it that much but now that it's five records in and still going I'm actually surprised we're still going. I actually think it's really nice. Living apart from each other makes you think, 'I really like those guys, it's cool that we're still doing stuff together.' We're pretty much brothers. For the amount of time we've spent together, we all grew up together, we have been through a lot.”

Like most close-knit families, growing up and moving away was just part of life's course. “Everyone lives in different cities of the world now,” Somervell explains. “We've spent six or seven years living out of each other's pockets, and now it's that opposite end of the spectrum. I actually think it's done us some good. Now, when we get back together it's generally good times and things are a bit fresher and we're more happy to see each other rather than just kind of waking up and seeing everybody's different moods throughout the day. There might be some old habits but we'll probably laugh at them rather than get bothered by them.”

While distance may make the heart grow fonder, it makes recording and releasing an album difficult to say the least. “Living in different countries generally, how are you supposed to practise?” he reasons with a chuckle. “We didn't know if it was going to work out, but we've just somehow worked it out. It's taken the best part of three years to record this one, but we just worked it out. If we had all been in the same city we would have got it together way quicker but it was always months in between recording sessions or hearing mixes and stuff. Everybody goes back to their regular lives where they're influenced by their surroundings. Really, it was just the logistical side of it, how long people can be away from their homes and how long we could be in the studio.”

The result is worth it, with Death Rattle Boogie labelled by singer Dolf de Borst as “Crystalising the band's legacy”, while this little black duck has called it the rock album of the year. Somervell is pretty pleased with it too. “I think it captures our live energy well. Normally, we've found that really hard in the studio to capture what we do live on a record, but I think we're getting better at it. “

A live energy that smacks you in the face from the very first track, and first single, Gods Are Bored. Although the album generally recalls the groovetastic jangle of keys and the loud-soft tides of grunge of the first two releases, Gods Are Bored and Gold Halo lean towards the more thrashy, metal side of The Datsuns' sound.

“We haven't really decided on any other single or things like that,” he admits. “We'll probably see how the first two go. It wasn't intended to put out the heavy ones first. Gods... was ready before the other ones were ready and a guy wanted to make a video for Halo and we said, 'Yep, let's do that.'” Another great idea the band decided on was the release of Death Rattle Boogie on vinyl, something that had Somervell super excited. But good luck trying to pry any secrets on the all-important album artwork. “[It's] on double vinyl! It's wicked – our first double album. [In the gatefold] there's a photo. I don't want to ruin it for you, not that it's any great thing, but I think it looks cool. There's dinosaurs in it, but you have to spot them though.”

You'll probably find it much easier to spot the boys this December as they hit the road to tour Death Rattle Boogie. As always, the guys are keen to open up on stage and unleash the new tracks on some unsuspecting audiences. “I'm actually really looking forward to it. All of us are. It's been a while since we toured Australia and it's been a while since we toured in general. Axethrower's pretty fun to play live, Gold Halo's great to play live, and Goodbye Ghost as well. The other ones, we haven't really had a chance to play them live yet. I'd like to be able to play Wander The Night live, and Death Of Me, that's good to play because I get to play bass! I play the bass on Colour of The Moon as well. It's always good to switch it up a bit. Bullseye is awesome too! We're [really] looking forward to [Festival of the Sun]. We've never been to Port Macquarie, ever. Watch out for Dolf and me in a drum and bass solo.”

Instrument swapping and experimentation is all part and parcel of the rock chaos and energy that is The Datsuns. “If anybody fucks up we just laugh at them. Normally, if we make mistakes we're the only ones who know. If you make a mistake, do it again in the next bar so [it looks like] you meant to do it.”

The Datsuns are well beyond faking it 'til they make it, though. They are there. From their almighty self-titled debut back in 2002, right through to the last strains of Death Of Me, the coda for Death Rattle Boogie, there is no denying the talent and magic that happens when these gentlemen come together. A happening that hopefully will continue into the future. Although Phil may have let something slip when talking of the origins of the latest album's title. “We just write down ideas for titles for songs or albums and stuff all the time and that was one that I'd read. It was in some paragraph of some WWII book and it kind of sounds like your last record and we just liked it.”

A pregnant pause of not even half a second passes before the entirety of the meaning in Phil's sentence can even be processed. Is this the last goodbye of The Datsuns as we know them? “Not that this is our last record, but we always make records like they could be our last,” Somervell clarifies. “I mean, this could be our last one, who knows what might happen?”

The Datsuns will be playing the following dates:

Wednesday 12 December - The Zoo, Brisbane QLD
Thursday 13 December - Spotted Cow, Toowoomba QLD
Friday 14 December - Coolangatta Hotel, Gold Coast QLD
Saturday 15 December - Festival of the Sun, Port Macquarie NSW
Sunday 16 December - The Annandale, Sydney NSW
Wednesday 19 December - Karova Lounge, Ballarat VIC
Thursday 20 December - The Espy, Melbourne VIC
Friday 21 December - The Espy, Melbourne VIC