A folk-pop duo beloved for their harmonies and heartfelt songwriting, The Dreggs are making waves once again with new single, “Stay The Night,” the first track from their highly anticipated sophomore album, due in mid-2025.
Following on from their 2024 debut LP Caught In A Reverie, “Stay The Night” signals a bold new chapter for the Sunshine Coast duo.
Written in collaboration with Matt Corby and Chris Collins (Royel Otis, The Rions), who produced the track at the iconic Rockinghorse Studios in Byron Bay, “Stay The Night” captures a delicate emotional moment: the hesitancy and vulnerability of asking a pivotal question in a relationship.
As Zane Harris, one half of The Dreggs, explains, the track is about “asking someone special to you a question, whatever that may be. It’s about navigating that uncertainty and trying not to mess it up.”
The songwriting process was a whirlwind, as Harris describes. Corby laid the foundation with the song’s evocative guitar chords, and since Harris and bandmate Paddy Macrae had already crafted lyrics that perfectly fit the melody’s introspective tone, they had a song within two hours.
The result is a song that retains The Dreggs’ signature sound while venturing into fresh sonic territory, blending their signature elements of banjo, acoustic guitars and percussion in a way that feels both classic and new. “We sort of want this first song to shock everyone a little bit,” Harris notes. “It’s still us, but it’s so different that yeah, we kind of just want to try and make some waves with it; make some new fans as well as keep the old ones happy as well.
“Stay The Night” also showcases The Dreggs’ commitment to authenticity. Harris recalls how they opted to preserve the track’s imperfections during production. “We liked that raw feeling. We wanted this album to feel like it’s held together with rubber bands but still makes sense. More natural, more us,” he says.
With Corby’s attention to detail and Collins’ knack for fostering creativity, the collaboration brought out the best in the band, resulting in a song Harris describes as “one of our top three favourites from the (forthcoming) album.”
The accompanying music video, directed by the band’s long-time collaborator Josh Hickie, encapsulates the duo’s laid-back charm. Shot spontaneously during a break from filming promotional reels, the video features Harris and Macrae in an understated but captivating visual narrative. “It weirdly encapsulates you and keeps you there,” Harris says. “It’s clean, authentic, and really feels like us.”
After selling over 20,000 tickets across Australia in 2024, The Dreggs are setting the tone for a massive year with “Stay The Night.” Alongside their forthcoming album, the duo is gearing up for a packed 2025 tour schedule, including major festival appearances, a debut tour in North America, their third European and UK jaunt, and Australian capital city and regional tour dates. As Harris summarises, “We’ve learned a lot over the last eight years, and we’re ready to take our career to the next level.”
The Dreggs’ “Stay The Night” is out now.
