The Dust Coda are a band who continue to achieve the seemingly impossible against all odds. From landing a UK Top 30 spot with their sophomore album ‘Mojo Skyline’, when the doors to the ‘real world’ were fully locked in defence against a pandemic, to producing a unique, head-turning sound amidst the muddle of cheap rock imitations (to the point of Classic Rock Magazine selecting the band’s brass-infused track “Jimmy 2 Times” as part of their 300th landmark issue’s ‘The Soundtrack Of Our Lifetime’ list, alongside legends such as Slash, AC/DC and Deep Purple).
Since then, these London-based trailblazers have continued to blazon their rich rock’n’roll soul across the UK and Europe, making their live European television debut on WDR’s legendary Rockpalast in Germany, roaring throughfestivals such as Kendal Calling and Paaspop Festival,and supporting Smith & Kotzen (of Iron Maiden and Poison fame, respectively) across the UK. All the while, the band have been cooking up an album that underlines their beloved signature sound whilst also transcending the songwriting prowess that ‘Mojo Skyline’ so successfully chiselled into the band’s legend.
Frontman John Drake explains: “’Loco Paradise’ is the sound of the band taking everything we have experienced in writing and making records, and leaping over the edge of a cliff. Some of the arrangements are pretty ridiculous and there were times when we thought, ‘what the hell are we doing here?!’ It turns out, we knew exactly what we were doing!”
Lead guitarist Adam Mackie adds: “This album really captures the band at the top of its game. We locked ourselves away in the studio together for a week to live and breathe the creation of ‘Loco Paradise’. Just six people constantly feeding off each other 24 hours a day for 7 days to give life to these songs and elevate them to a place beyond our expectations. The result is a 54-minute testimony of pure, organic rock’n’roll music.”
Recorded during the hazy summer heat of 2022, ‘Loco Paradise’ saw the band take residence together at the divinely picturesque Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire, with producer Charlie Russell (Kasabian, Jamiroquai, Wargasm) at the helm. Just as the album cover itself (which features a striking depiction of a winged, crazed eyeball clutching a lightning bolt in its talons) is intended as a piece of art for fans to get lost in, the album is also an experience of immersion. As bassist Tony Ho puts it: “This album breaks all known laws of gravity! It lifts you up to the heavenly stratosphere and slams you back down again in one song alone. It’s a living creature.”
What truly brings the album to life is the position of attack that the band chose for recording the album. Rather than allowing each member to perfect their parts separately, the band opted for recording each song together in one room at one time, thus pairing The Dust Coda’s power as a live band with their recorded work for the first time. As drummer Scott Miller attests: “Unlike previous albums, we didn’t record all of the drum tracks first in one go. We captured full live takes, so there’s a real live energy on the record and it shows us at our creative best. It was a more organic process and I’m really excited about the vibrant spirit that this brought, not only to my drumming, but to the album as a whole.”
From the raging opener and lead single “Road To Hell” through to the brooding closer “It Won’t Be Long”, ‘Loco Paradise’ brings to the fore timeless songwriting akin to the likes of what Guns N’ Roses and Faces are championed for. The album offers a kaleidoscope of rock across hard-hitting shockwaves of punk voltage, blues-drenched power anthems and atmospheric acoustic sunbursts (which Tony describes as “like morning dew on the soul”).
As such, ‘Loco Paradise’ is a pleasurably tempestuous journey, though the lyrical chords that it strikes were primarily inspired by turmoil. John comments: “This record for me is a snapshot of the world in pure chaos: a meditation on isolation and conflict, heartbreak and dystopia – but with a little faith in humanity thrown in for good measure, also.”
“It’s full of emotion, chaos, joy, mistakes, beauty, love, death and everything in between. We really pride ourselves on the voyage through light and shade that we’ve offered listeners with our previous albums, and we’ve pushed the boundaries on that even wider with this album,” Adam continues. “’Loco Paradise’ is a complete piece of rock’n’roll ecstasy. There is something for everyone and we can’t wait for it to be out there for all to hear!”
The #1 UK Rock & Metal Album (and The Dust Coda’s second UK Top 40 Album) ‘Loco Paradise’ is out now at earache.com/thedustcoda.