Photo Credit: Georgia Cottrill

Ten years after their debut album Hills End, DMA’S return with a fifth studio album that feels appropriately self-titled. DMA’S sees Aussie trio Tommy O’Dell, Johnny Took and Matt Mason return to the songwriting that has carried them from sweaty indie venues to some of the biggest stages in the UK over the last decade, while pushing their sound in a few new directions along the way. Across 11 tracks, the band combine the consistency they have carried throughout their career with a willingness to try something different 

There is no lengthy introduction to DMA’S. “El Alamein” opens the album with O’Dell’s familiar vocals and the upbeat sound synonymous with DMA’S. From there, the record moves comfortably between nostalgia, experimentation and the rougher edges of their songwriting. 

“My Baby’s Place”, the first single from the album and the band’s first fully self-produced single, is perhaps the clearest example of that balance. It is a feel good indie tune with all the ingredients that made DMA’S so beloved in the first place. Its reception from fans has already cemented it as a standout, and its warmth makes it easy to understand why. 

Then comes “Hurricane”, gradually building into one of the album’s biggest choruses as O’Dell sings through the turmoil of a relationship falling apart. “Killing Time” follows with a faster, more guitar-focused sound, its repetitive melody giving the track a hypnotic quality. Then there’s “Heatin Park”, where the guitars take centre stage. It is heavier, grittier and probably the furthest the record has moved from its more familiar sound so far.

“Emailz” slows things down again, taking on the quieter aftermath of a breakup. There is a reflective quality to the track that carries right through, before “One & Only” brings the guitars back in for a more direct love song. The rockier side of DMA’S is there from the start, even as the lyrics turn towards something more tender.

“Dancing Luck” is where the album takes another step away from what comes before it. Acoustic and radiant, it stands apart from the rest of the album without sounding out of place. Built around the line “There’s a light that’s still on inside”, it carries a sense of yearning for something better, while O’Dell’s vocals grow stronger as the track unfolds. 

“Concrete” brings back the album’s easy listening feel before “Windows”, the final single released ahead of the album, catches O’Dell in a more reflective moment. The penultimate track explores the pull between wanting to move on and still finding yourself drawn back to the past. 

The album’s closing track “Distance” suddenly makes everything feel cinematic. It is reminiscent of the end credits scene in a movie, giving the album one final lift. There is something bittersweet underneath it, making it a fitting way to bring the album to a close.

Across DMA’S, there is a sense of a band enjoying the freedom that comes with ten years of making music together. They can lean into the sound that made them, turn up the guitars, slow things down or simply write a great indie song without having to prove anything. It is familiar DMA’S, just with a little more life behind it.