Photo Credit: Georgia Cottrill
Ten years on from their debut album ‘Hill’s End’ was unveiled into the world, DMA’S continue to push forward as they go back to their roots, but showcasing evolution still is important as they release their fifth studio album, titled ‘DMA’S’. We sat down with Johnny Took prior to their stripped back album launch show in Bristol where he goes into detail on the decision to self-title the record, their love for the UK and much more.
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How has the acoustic tour been going so far?
Johnny: It’s been really nice. If you’ve seen a DMA’S show before, we don’t do much banter. We’re a bit meat and veg, play the songs and have a good time. We don’t like to ramble on too much. We’ve decided on these acoustic shows to chat to the crowd more, tell them what these songs mean and a little bit about the journey of this record. The response has been really good, it’s a different experience to what they are used to from a DMA’S gig.
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What has the reception been like on the new record?
Johnny: Really great. The album is a little bit of a coming home, returning to our roots kind of experience. All of our albums have been received well from our fans which is great, but I think maybe where the worlds as well, indie guitars is what we do best and so it’s nice that guitars are back in the zeitgeist. People are really appreciating that. Some people are saying it’s our best album to date which is really nice, it feels good when people say things like that five albums in. I could see bands easily running out of ideas by album five, but we’re not feeling that way, which is nice.
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Why did you decide to self-title the record?
Johnny: The fact it was a bit of a coming home moment. We had the self-titled card up our sleeve, to be played at some point. The whole DIY aesthetic and sentiment and channeling the energy of ‘Hill’s End’ and the early EP. The overall feeling and full circle moment felt this was the appropriate time to do a self-titled release.
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For any new fans looking to get into DMA’S, what song would you recommend from the new record?
Johnny: ‘Windows’ I think is a big one. That is one of my favourites off the record and it’s kind of a big part of the DMA’S sound. That vulnerable, happy/sad, isolated Tommy vocal, acoustic-driven tune. It’s kind of reminiscent of ‘Silver’, ‘Delete’ or our ‘Believe’ cover. Maybe something like ‘Killing Time’ where it has that feeling that a lot of DMA’S songs have but also has a twist that is a bit more modern for us and shows where we’re at now. As much as there’s sentiment that was found on the first album, it is still its own beast.
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How have you adjusted to approaching the acoustic shows compared to your usual live performances?
Johnny: They are a completely different DMA’S experience. When we started playing and when Mason and I first met, the line-up and the arrangement was kind of similair to what we’re doing for these acoustic shows where he’s playing dobro, there’s harmonies, acoustic-driven. It’s how we used to busk and play cover shows in bars around Newtown when we were kids. That’s kind of where we started and we’ve done that stuff for hundreds of hours. It feels very natural. Very different to a live show, but it’s a nice thing. The response has been really great on them and we’ve even considered doing an acoustic tour in the future where we play songs from across all five albums. That would be cool.
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DMA’S will return to the UK in February 2027. How excited are you to come back?
Johnny: It’s going to be awesome. I think the main thing we are excited about is that on the last couple of records, we’ve come over the week of release, that is something special but sometimes it has been a little frustrating because it hasn’t allowed people enough time to wrap their head around all of the songs. I’m really quite happy that we’re coming back in February where there will be time for it to settle and for people to become familiar with the album. I think that is going to bring the energy up tremendously for the full band performance.
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What keeps bringing you back to the UK? The ‘How Many Dreams’ cycle saw you do four UK tours in the calendar year.
Johnny: We clocked like 200 miles in the air in 2024. I’ve always has a deep connection with the UK because my Dad is British. That’s always been part of my heritage so being able to meet the people over here and for them to take us under their wing has been amazing. We never take that for granted. Some of our most important musical memories have been made over here as well as conversation we’ve had with people who have told us some of their personal stories and how the songs have helped them, which is kind of one of the reasons why we do it.
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Do you have any final words for your fans?
Johnny: Thank you for listening. Thank you for staying with us over these five albums. I hope you can make memories with these songs and if you keep coming to the gigs, we’ll keep writing and releasing music.
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DMA’S will be back in the UK in February 2027. Tickets are on sale now.
