DMA’s – “DMA’s” (Friday 21st August 2026) 7/10
There’s something fitting about DMA’s releasing a self-titled album 10 years on from their debut, Hills End. While plenty of bands right now feel pressured to push themselves into new territory, experimenting with sounds and constantly attempting to reinvent their identity, the Aussie trio appear to have instead gone back to basics on the new album. And the end product it’s genuinely warming to hear.
The new release is soaked in nostalgia. It’s quintessential DMA’s from start to finish: big melodies, guitars, anthemic choruses and, of course, Tommy O’Dell’s unmistakable vocals. It doesn’t feel like a band trying to prove anything. Instead, it feels like DMA’s embracing exactly what made them so loved in the first place.
The album wastes absolutely no time making that clear. ‘El Alamein’ arrives immediately, with O’Dell right in your face from the opening second. There’s no intro, no gradual build-up – it simply launches into life. From there, the album gives us four singles in succession, and it’s here that it really hits its stride.
‘My Baby’s Place’, the lead single, immediately transported listeners back to the band’s early days when it was released, and that sense of nostalgia is just as strong within the album. It sounds unmistakably like DMA’s, recalling the rawness and simplicity of their earlier material without feeling like a mere rehash.
Then comes ‘Hurracane’, arguably the best song on the record. It’s a beautiful track built around a really strong melody, and it captures what the band do best. There’s an emotional quality to it without the song ever becoming overworked, allowing O’Dell’s voice and the melody to carry it.
Popular single ‘Killing Time’ picks up the pace, keeping the momentum going before ‘Heatin’ Park’ arrives with a title that will immediately mean something to anyone familiar with the band’s history. Their connection to Manchester and the UK has always been significant, with the UK effectively becoming a second home for the Sydney-formed trio. Heaton Park is, of course, a venue steeped in Oasis history – one of their biggest influences. It’s a reminder of the connection between the two bands: DMA’s have always carried echoes of that 1990’s British guitar sound, but have made it their own.
‘Emailz’ is the next new track and, while it feels a little more like filler in comparison with the album’s stronger moments, O’Dell once again makes it worthwhile. His vocals are undoubtedly one of DMA’s greatest assets, and right now it’s difficult to think of many indie frontmen with a stronger or more recognisable voice.
The romantic side of the band emerges on ‘One & Only’, offering a softer change of pace, before ‘Dancing Luck’ becomes one of the album’s standout non-singles. ‘Concrete’ brings some interesting sonic parallels, with shades of the latest Courteeners album ‘Pink Cactus Café’ running through it. That connection feels particularly appropriate given the DMA’s appearance on that record, and it reinforces just how naturally the band sits within the modern British indie landscape.
The final two tracks provide a fitting conclusion. ‘Windows’, one of the album’s singles, is a raw and emotional moment that strips things back before the record’s final burst of energy. It feels like the calm before the storm. That storm arrives in the form of ‘Distance’, an upbeat, high-energy closer that finishes the album on a high. After spending much of the record looking back, DMA’s leave us with a reminder that they still have plenty of forward momentum.
Ultimately, this isn’t an album that attempts to reinvent the wheel. Nor does it need to be. Ten years on from Hills End, this feels like a band comfortable with their identity and confident enough to embrace it.
In a musical landscape where experimentation and reinvention are often encouraged, there’s something refreshing about DMA’s simply sounding like DMA’s. The singles are undoubtedly the highlights, but across its 11 tracks, it delivers exactly what fans have come to love: nostalgia, melody, guitars and that unmistakable voice.
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