Newcastle punks Dead Mall have returned with their latest single ‘GASOLINE’; a fiery, 2 minute belter that lyrically draws from a classic 20-year-old comedy skit.
Dead Mall have been working away at a fresh batch of songs since the release of their previous single back in 2023, and its immediately obvious on ‘GASOLINE’ that the band have evolved ten-fold during the process. Not straying too far from their hardcore influences, ‘GASOLINE’ is still full to the brim with breakneck riffage – but the production and songwriting as a whole is a significant step up from the raw, chaotic sound found in the band’s earlier output
Recorded, mixed and produced by the bands guitarist Darcy Long, with mastering from Alan Douches (Every Time I Die, Misfits, Bad Brains), the track’s vocals were the first from the session to be written by frontman Ruairi Burns, who looked to legendary post-hardcore band Rival Schools as a source of inspiration for the melody.
“We spent the majority of the last 12 months working on new material, and this was the first song I wanted to work on vocally. We generally divide up the lyrical duties in the band, but originally, this song had no vocals, just riffs. But every time I heard it, I could imagine the melodies really naturally, so I pushed for words.
I’m a huge Rival Schools fan and I remember trying to dial in a similar flow to Walter Schriefels. As soon as I had his voice in my head, the song came together really quickly. “
RUAIRI BURNS, DEAD MALL
Lyrically, the track is mostly made up of one-liners frontman Ruairi Burns was able to conjure up in reference to the long-running ‘Deep Thoughts’ skit that aired on Saturday Night Live throughout the 90s.
“Lyrically, I was trying to write a Jack Handey joke. He had this segment on SNL called ‘`Deep Thoughts’ (intro by Phil Hartman). I don’t think he ever stopped writing them either (since leaving the show 20 something years ago). The opening line of the song `’it is comforting to know, the day that I snap I have a list of people ready with their last known address’ is a good example of the stuff he used to write – observational one-liners that seem profound on first glance, but don’t mean a whole lot once you read into it.
I originally wanted to title it ‘Common Sense’, which I thought reflected the sensibilities of ‘Deep Thoughts’. But once the ‘gasoline’ section was added (which was improvised in the studio), there was no going back. It was GASOLINE, the obvious answer to revenge.”RUAIRI BURNS, DEAD MALL
The track is paired with a music video directed by up-and-coming videographer Nikola Jakonovic, who has recently worked with fellow novocastrian acts dust, Poltergeist 9000 & Mia Petra. The video depicts frontman Ruairi Burns in a dream state, being summoned to court and finding himself in a seemingly never-ending line. The surreal video utilises different formats throughout its runtime, leading to an incredibly engaging, textured clip that perfectly represents the track visually.
Dead Mall have made a name for themselves up and down the east coast over the last few years, performing alongside the likes of Trophy Eyes, Dreggs, Honest Crooks, Dropsaw, Whatever, Forever and more during their tenure as a band. The band have seen significant radio support from triple J, Unearthed, 2SER, RTR, Radio Adelaide and 3RRR, as well as editorial praise from local tastemakers Blunt Mag, Hysteria, Kill Your Stereo and more.
With plenty of new music on the way, 2025 is shaping up to be a big year for the mall!