Perth's Dear Sunday explore mental illness with new indie-reggae single, 'Knock Knock'
Perth’s prolific newcomers Dear Sunday keep notching up wins with their releases, and the brand new single, ‘Knock Knock’ can be added to that list. Heading more in to melancholy territory, the track is a touching exploration of mental illness, and the grief of losing a loved one.
‘Knock Knock’, Dear Sunday’s first single since their debut EP ‘Draw 4’ (released in late 2021), sees the band adopt reggae influences in to their already established psych-tinged indie rock. It’s very reminiscent of Sydney-based indie-reggae (think early Ocean Alley and Sticky Fingers), with vocalist Ben Swanson’s husky tone bouncing off the reggae groove and guitar skanks, before the band shifts up a gear towards the last portion of the track.
Speaking on the heartbreaking inspiration behind the track, Ben explains, “So the song is actually about depression and the feeling of being haunted by dark, sad thoughts. A few years ago I lost two of my best mates, only months apart, to their own battles with mental health. It's something that is so incredibly common these days, but it's still so hard to comprehend the internal battle that those people are going through…I lost friends because they found it hard to express how they felt, so here I am, sharing my experiences, my dark times and my fight with depression through a song that could be heard all over the world. Hopefully, I'm doing them proud.”
Recorded with Andy Lawson of Debaser Studio and mastered by William Bowden, Knock Knock is the kind of song that will stay with the audience long after their first listen. We all know someone who has struggled with mental health – or have struggled ourselves – so Knock Knock will hopefully come as a comfort, a song to turn to in hard times, as Ben reflects on the mood ahead of the release, “We definitely have a mixture of emotions going on with releasing Knock Knock, that's for sure.
“We're all super excited but also so so nervous. This track is a bit of a heavier track from the stuff that we have released prior to this, so we aren't too sure how the fans will take it - honestly, though, this one is probably a bit of a ‘step-up’ from our other stuff, and we are so excited to see how it's received.”
The Dear Sunday boys have sold out every show they’ve ever played – a remarkable achievement – and are extremely excited to hit some festivals stages this year, as Ben gives fans a taste of what to expect from the new year, “2022 is looking super exciting for us. We've got heaps of new music coming out, collabs with artists we couldn't have even dreamed of a year ago, and even jumping on some festival lineups. She's gonna be a busy year, we can't wait.”
‘Knock Knock’ is out now on all streaming platforms.