They’ve been described as “one of the most important bands in Melbourne”, and as Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice gear up for the release of their forthcoming album, the revered rockers have asked the question we all have on our lips with their latest single, “How Can Anybody Be Sober These Days?”.
A staple of Victorian stages, Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice first emerged onto the scene just three years ago, formed as something of a supergroup of sorts comprising musicians from Melbourne and Perth. With band leader Dougal Shaw (known for his work within Breve, Cracodile, Hot Sludge Fundae, and Cash Savage and The Last Drinks) at the helm, the eclectic collective have been turning heads just as fast as they dish out new music, with new album Remember the Future? Vol 2 & 1 set to arrive early next month.
Now, following on from recent single “Infinite Growth”, Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice have unveiled “How Can Anybody Be Sober These Days?”, which in addition to being arguably one of the finest rock tracks you’ll hear this year, serves as “a legitimate question about coping with living in a time when everything seems to be falling apart around us”.
“It’s a tongue-in-cheek commentary on life under neo-liberal capitalism,” Shaw continues, “where productivity outweighs fulfilment. It’s about society allowing the poisons that numb us enough that we don’t ask too many questions, but not so much that we’re no longer deemed useful.
“Underneath it all it’s about finding your own intoxication and coping mechanisms, whether that’s a bottle, or writing songs, or a long walk in nature.”
Known for responding to current events via their music (as evidenced by their previous EPs Scomo Goes to Hawaii and While Aus Burns), Shaw simply explains that the group aren’t making any grand, sweeping statements with their work, rather, they’re just “reacting to whatever’s dominating the news feed, it’s all catastrophes and conspiracies.
“I’m trying to make some sense out of it, or at least document it,” he adds.
“How Can Anybody Be Sober These Days?” is set to be released on Remember the Future? Vol 2 & 1 when it arrives in early November. Described as “a 31-minute whammy of 10 propulsive robo-punk anthems which document the dystopian absurdity of our times”, it’s on track to be one release you need to hear.
Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice’s “How Can Anybody Be Sober These Days?” is out now, while Remember the Future? Vol 2 & 1 will be released on November 5th via Marthouse Records.
