Picking fruit from various genre trees, ‘Nature Nurture’ – the sophomore album from Matt Bigland’s Dinosaur Pile-Up – is a bowl full of intertwined pop, grunge and rock ‘n’ roll. Heading into the summer as one of the most anthemic yet understated albums of the year, we caught up with Matt to run some of our favourite tracks past him.
Here’s what we both had to say.
‘ARIZONA WAITING’
Why we love it: Opening the album on a high, ‘Arizona Waiting’ immediately packs one hell of a punch. Led by its bittersweet melody, the song delivers an uplifting summery vibe and downtrodden lyrics at the same time. We’d expect this track to really explode in a live setting, with hints of a huge stadium sound.
Why they love it: ‘Arizona [Waiting]’ is a great song for us because it’s a reminder of the ups and downs the band had to go through to make this record happen. You’re never gonna say anything real unless you had to struggle to say it. That’s why playing ‘Arizona’ every night feels the same as the first time we ever played it.
‘DERAIL’
Why we love it: Perfect as a comeback single, ‘Derail’ shows the increased pop angle on the in-your-face grunge that dominated on the previous album. It’s catchy as hell, with the occasional hint of surf thrown in for good measure. To top it all off the accompanying Hitchcockian video starring pop’s very own Diana Vickers is excellent.
Why they love it: ‘Derail’ is a little bit of a different side for us to show, which is cool. It’s a sensitive song, about [dropping] down to your lowest point yet. I’m glad that made the record.
‘WHITE T-SHIRT AND JEANS’
Why we love it: ‘White T-Shirt and Jeans’ is the dirtiest song on the record, characterised by short and sharp riffs and a grungier sound. Simplicity is what it does best, relying entirely on the minimalist guitars and steady drum pattern during the verses and the drop in the drawn out vocals during the chorus. Basically, it’s perfectly filthy.
Why they love it: Because it’s such a killer pop song but it also slays! We love ‘White Tee’ because that verse is so heavy, yet the vocals are so subdued, and it’s that kind of hip hop lilt to it. The chorus is a killer, and a bit of a heartbreaker for me.
‘THE WAY WE CAME’
Why we love it: Being the album’s “ballad” of-sorts, ‘The Way We Came’ is another prime example of the pop injection. The vocals, particularly at the start, hark back to grunge’s heyday while the down tempo melody keeps a certain bounce. Ultimately it pulls together the simplicity and the fusion of genres.
Why they love it: ‘The Way We Came’ is killer for a break. We love this song because it’s a nice reminder for us to stay where we came from at the beginning, through wherever we’re gonna go. It’s so important that a band stays close, and now that we’re so close as a band, and as this line up, it’s important we keep it like that. This song is a reminder of all that stuff.
‘START AGAIN’
Why we love it: One of the few songs on the album that turns up the vocal distortion, it’s the insatiable melody and these genuinely pained vocals that make this the standout on the final third of the album. ‘Start Again’ is one of the most overt rock and roll numbers of the record – it’s best turned up loud.
Why they love it: We love ‘Start Again’ because of how big it is. It’s super fun to play, and it’s about hard times gone past. So it’s nice to play in hindsight. It also KICKS ASS.
Check out our full review of the album if you haven’t done so already – and keep up with all things Dinosaur Pile-Up via Facebook.
BEN TIPPLE