Interview: The Dreggs Chat About Their Debut Album and Upcoming National Tour

Sunshine Coast duo, The Dreggs are riding the sky high since the release of their debut album, Caught In The Reverie. As they prepare for a huge Australian and NZ tour, we caught up with the pair to find out more about the new album, the upcoming tour and more!

Congratulations on the upcoming release of your debut album, Caught In A Reverie! Can you share with us the journey of creating this album and the themes that inspired its creation?

It was a long journey to say the least, the album was originally only supposed to be an EP but we ended up scratching a lot of those songs and writing 8 more to make an album. The majority of the album was recorded on the Sunshine Coast in Heliport Studios with Alex Henrikkson, but there was also some songs recorded down on the Gold Coast with Tim Goodburn and the one song recorded in Rainbow Valley Studios with Alex and Matt Corby. The whole theme behind this album was if you listened from start to finish you’ll have gone through the 5 stages of grief. We both went through some pretty big breakups which lead us to dealing with those exact 5 stages. 

Your latest single, “Peeps With The Goods,” features a collaboration with Aussie indie legend Matt Corby. What was it like working with him, and how did his influence shape the sound of the track?

He is a phenomenal musician and song writer and to be honest just a good bloke, we went into the studio with ideas on what we were going to write but ended up just starting a song from scratch. We then walked out of the studio after two days with ‘Peeps With The Goods’ sometimes you go back and forth with producers on mixes and stuff like that but pretty much what you hear with the song is how it was recorded. We barely touched it. We’re big believers in ‘if it’s not broken don’t fix it’ and that was the exact vibe for this song. We had full faith in Matt and his capabilities so we just all went with the flow. I think that’s what makes this song special. 

With your album exploring themes of life as independent artists in the music industry, what are some of the challenges and rewards you’ve experienced along your musical journey so far?

Well, we went into this thinking it’d be nothing more than a hobby, for us to get to where we are already is mind blowing. I feel we have just fumbled our way through this whole whirlwind of what the music industry is. We have had countless knock backs and knock downs but I think what we’ve learnt is, consistency is key. It’s what’s got us to where we are. 

You’ve recently announced a massive Australian and New Zealand tour in support of Caught In A Reverie. What can fans expect from your live shows, and are there any particular cities or venues you’re looking forward to playing in?

We are SO excited for this tour. We’re practically playing the biggest rooms in Aus and we are bringing a 5 piece band. It’ll be the first time we play with a 5 piece, we’ve been working so hard on how to continuously make our set better each tour and I think we’ve really nailed this set. We are of course playing the majority of the new album but we’re also throwing some classics in the mix also! 

Unfortunately, The Dreggs were slated to perform at Splendour In The Grass, which was recently cancelled. How did you and the band react to this news, and how are you navigating disappointments like these in the current industry climate?

Yeah, we were devastated, it really is 99% of the musicians dream within Aus to play Main Stage at Splendour and we were set to play the afternoon too. We really do hope the music industry in Aus can recover from this. It’s more important now more than ever to support Australian music. Go see a band you don’t really know, buy merch, don’t wait till last minute to buy tickets. If it keeps going the way it’s going, who knows how we’ll end up. 

Despite the setbacks, what are your hopes and aspirations for the future of The Dreggs? Are there any upcoming projects or goals you’re particularly excited about pursuing after the release of Caught In A Reverie and your tour?

It’s crazy to say but we’re already working on the next project, whether it’ll be another album we are not too sure, maybe even an EP! But we’re just going to keep doing what we are doing and that’s playing shows and writing music. The rest is just a bonus!

THE DREGGS – ALBUM TOUR – AUSTRALIA/NZ

FRI 14 JUN | HINDLEY STREET MUSIC HALL, ADELAIDE SA | ALL AGES
Tickets available from www.thedreggsmusic.com

SAT 15 JUN | METRO CITY, PERTH WA | 18+
Tickets available from www.thedreggsmusic.com

FRI 21 JUN | FORTITUDE MUSIC HALL, BRISBANE | ALL AGES
Tickets available from www.thedreggsmusic.com

FRI 28 JUN | ENMORE THEATRE, SYDNEY | ALL AGES
Tickets available from www.thedreggsmusic.com

SAT 29 JUN | FORUM, MELBOURNE | 18+
Tickets available from www.thedreggsmusic.com

FRI 26 JUL | THE CHURCH, CHRISTCHURCH, NZ | 18+
Tickets available from www.thedreggsmusic.com

SAT 27 JUL | U BAR, DUNEDIN, NZ | 18+
Tickets available from www.thedreggsmusic.com

SUN 28 JUL | YONDER, QUEENSTOWN, NZ | 18+
Tickets available from www.thedreggsmusic.com

THU 1 AUG | SAN FRAN, WELLINGTON, NZ | 18+
Tickets available from www.thedreggsmusic.com

FRI 2 AUG | TUNING FORK, AUCKLAND, NZ | 18+
Tickets available from www.thedreggsmusic.com