Interview: Mannequin Death Squad Chat About Their New Single, ‘Everybody’s Movin’

Naarm/Melbourne-based rock/punk duo Mannequin Death Squad have unveiled their explosive single ‘Everybody’s Movin‘ – produced by the band themselves, mixed by Brent Quirk and mastered by Matt Gray (Violent Soho, The Veronicas). We sat down with the duo to find out more about the new track, influences, motivators and more!

Congratulations on your latest release ‘Everybody’s Movin’! What’s everyone’s roles in the band?

We do the same things as each other. We both play drums, guitar, and vocals. We usually swap instruments halfway through the set, which works out because that’s usually when we start getting over playing that particular instrument, haha.

Who are your biggest influences on your sound?

Dan is a classic metalhead who loves Megadeth, Dillinger Escape Plan, and Bring Me The Horizon but also loves classics like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Van Halen. El grew up listening to grunge and punk, but her playlist is also full of sad 50’s and occasional French music. The Pixies, Wolf Alice, No Doubt, System Of a Down, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Kills, Lana Del Rey.

What’s the biggest motivation factor for Mannequin Death Squad?

Releasing these new tracks that we’ve been working on since lockdowns. And furthermore, getting to tour them in as many places across the world, we got to test a few recently in Europe & India, and it was bloody fun.

Who would you choose if you could share a bill with any band?

Green Day, they write bangers & who didn’t grow up on Dookie or American Idiot? They were very influential for us. They also seem like absolute legends.

Tell us a bit about what 2023 was like for you.

We have had such a big year, but we managed to fit in a showcase at SXSW Sydney after a three-month international tour. We thought we were finished for the year until we got asked to support Suicidal Tendencies on their sold-out Australian tour… As if we’d say no!