The heavy-hitting English alt-rock trio DINOSAUR PILE-UP have just released their latest single “Nothing Personal” off their upcoming album, ELEVEN ELEVEN (Out August 26, 2016 via SO Recordings). At track five, “Nothing Personal” tears through the middle of the record at breakneck speed, opening with a volatile riff a la Queens of the Stone Age that barrels into an infectious, sawtoothed chorus, revealing the band’s punk chops.
“’Nothing Personal’ is an out and out shredder,” explains vocalist and guitarist Matt Bigland. “It’s a kind of nihilist speed race. Full throttle and no beliefs. It’s about transitory relationships and escapism. I remember kind of being worried about tryiing to put it down in the studio, because the energy of the song was so high, and it was relentlessly fast. I was worried that Mikey on the drums would burn out or something. Sure, he nailed it in one take. I ate my words. It was unbelievable. The version you’re listening to is the first take, no more no less.”
“What’s really exciting for us about this record is it’s the first time we’ve ever been able to capture the energy and flow that we have live,” says Matt. “Because it’s the first time we’ve recorded an album together in a room, like when we are playing live or rehearsing, we were able to shape the songs and put them down in the way we want to play them live. Whenever we wanted something to be heavier, or more intense, we just changed it there and then. It was awesome.”
Sculpted by the expert hands of producer Tom Dalgety (Royal Blood, Band of Skulls, Killing Joke, Turbowolf) the album features crushing, jagged riffs which Kerrang! characterizes as “Crushing and swaggering. Like Godzilla in loafers.” Up close and personal in subject matter while staying sonically hard-hitting and thunderous, the album tackles topics such as empowerment (“11:11”), to nihilism (“Nothing Personal”), to letting go of the things that weigh you down (“Might As Well”), to bottomless moods (“Crystalline”) and suffering from anxiety while on tour (“Anxiety Trip”).
Formed in 2007, Dinosaur Pile-Up broke out of the thriving Leeds rock scene and instantly drew favorable comparisons to the cream of ‘90s US college rock such as Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer, and Foo Fighters. Named after a scene in Peter Jackson’s remake of King Kong where a stampede of dinosaurs collides at the foot of a mountain, Dinosaur Pile-Up put out their first official release, The Most Powerful E.P In The Universe, in 2009 and have gone on to record two studio albums, 2010’s Growing Pains and 2014’s Nature Nurture. They’ve toured with Weezer, Pixies, Brand New, Royal Blood, and Pulled Apart by Horses, among many others.