Since 2021, Perth 4-piece DICE have been swiftly becoming one of the most prominent indie rock bands in the entire country, impressing with singles like “Tickets” and “Stop Sign”.
They enjoyed a year on two fronts in 2023, releasing multiple singles and an EP (Time Will Tell) and becoming live circuit favourites after selling out tours and appearing at the likes of Yours & Owls and SXSW Sydney.
One year later, they’ve got even bigger things planned.
DICE today released their new single, “This Is Not a Love Song”, with a lyric video featuring footage from one of their shows. The track also serves as the official teaser for their upcoming debut album, also announced today, titled Midnight Zoo, which is set for release on August 9th.
“Although ‘This Is Not a Love Song’ does sound like a love song, we assure you it is not (or is it?),” DICE say, leaving the main message behind the single open to fan interpretation.
“Have you met someone before and just thought, ‘Yep, they’re the one,’ but you ended up feeling like a nervous school kid whilst they sat on a pedestal in your mind? This song tells the story of that so-called ‘love,'” they add.
“This Is Not a Love Song” displays everything that DICE do well: it’s catchy, upbeat, and well-written, not straying too far from their surf-rock roots, while also giving fans a taste of the direction their debut album is heading in.
Midnight Zoo is an ode to their Perth recording studio, Tone City Studios, which is an important location in the band’s story. “It was the place we all went to get away from everything, when we felt sad, when we had a fight, but it was also where our creativity was at its strongest. It’s also always been a joke that the studio is like a zoo and when it turns to night, that’s when the magic happens,” DICE explain.
The upcoming album is set to offer a glimpse into each DICE member’s lives during the recording process. “We find our love for music through its authenticity. There’s a certain beauty to creating music because it is a culmination of your own emotions, experiences and personality. Midnight Zoo is a window into what our lives have been like and the memories we’ve made during producing the record.”
DICE’s “This Is Not a Love Song” is out now. Midnight Zoo is out August 9th via Tone City Records (pre-save/pre-order here).
