• TOTAL PUNK

  • DUMBELLS- Up Late With LP (members of Tee Vee Repairmann, Shrapnel) Mind Meld

Today we are dropping the first single off of the debut LP by Sydney’s DUMBELLS and the fifth release on our imprint MIND MELD RECORDS. When Ishka sent me these tracks there was much internal dialog. The inner struggle of am I the right one to release this record? Can I release something this openly pretty? There were some quirky changes that at first made me uncomfortable, comparisons to be made to bands I long ago wrote off, but isn’t that what makes a great band truly great? They challenge your taste. Make you rethink some things you’ve passed on with a shrug. I spent a week going back and forth, doubting my judgement, but also listening to this album over and over and over. With each listen I found something new to love. The quirky changes that at first got my “indie rock” alarm bells ringing started taking on different tones. The incredible harmonies, the psychedelic playfulness, and the fantastic song writing came front and center. I’m getting older, I’ve got a kid, I’m finally learning to accept that I too can have nice things! All this to get to the point that I truly love this LP and am very excited to the one releasing it. The initial idea of Mind Meld was a place for artists I love to experiment with different sounds than the ones everyone knows them for, but I’m realizing its a place for me to do the same thing. So check out 'Hammer' off Up Late With THE DUMBELLS. LP out March 21st

https://totalpunkrecords.com/collections/frontpage/products/dumbells-up-late-with-lp-preorder

Dumbells are my favourite new band to see live in Sydney since, well, when live music started happening again. They embody a quality apparent in many of my favourite Sydney groups, where pre-existing music scenes blur and new alignments form. Whatever forces brought Sam Wilkinson (Shrapnel, Sachet) , Jen May(Tee Vee Repairmann), Ben Schattner (Shrapnel, VIPP) and Ishka Edmeades (Tee Vee Repairmann, Satanic Togas....) together has unlocked a certain hard-to-describe quality of rock ‘n’ roll I personally yearn for.

It’s hard to quantify this particular quality of r’n’r without a long list of nerdish reference points, but I think it’s how non-aligned with any particular sub-genre, or era, or tacked on caricature-ish style they are in their approach to amateur rock music that makes them not just another band in the endless sea of music.

On one hand, a child, or even a Pavement fan could immediately be wooed by the immediacy of the hooks, melodies and charismatic group dynamic expertly, but not too expertly, captured on ‘Up Late With Dumbells’. On the other hand, cold hearted cynics will have their record collector cockles warmed by a feeling akin to discovering Big Star’s Radio City or Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartment’s Bait & Switch.

Dumbells cross examine the classic / independent rock dialectic in a manner that’s musically informed, but more importantly intuitive. They aren’t in reaction to, or embracement of, any micro-trend but embrace the big picture of being in a humble rock band. Dumbells do shit with their guitars, bass, drums and voices that we all know feel good, natural and exciting, but maybe in a world rife with self consciousness and cynicism, often get lost in the sauce. - Nic Warnock (Repressed Records, R.I.P Society)

thank you for putting this out rich! hopefully it strikes a chord with the americans

    hotsounds My storage space and I have the same hope

      hotsounds this American approves.Great song writing. Feels like a Robin Hitchcock tune.

        Great interview over at PAPERFACE!
        For the uninitiated, Dumbells is an oddity. Their debut album Up Late With isn't even out yet, but in a sorta charming way, it already feels like it will be one of the most misunderstood albums of the year. With clear nods to pop institutions (Big Star, Let's Active, Dump Truck, The Fall-Outs), the Sydney group made up of overeducated popsters Ben Schattner (Shrapnel, V.I.P.P., Romance), Sam Wilkinson (Shrapnel, Sachet), Jennifer May (Tee Vee Repairman), and Ishka Edmeades (Tee Vee Repairman, Satanic Togas, Gee Tee) undercut rock 'n' roll conventions with an unsettling edge of fragile melodies, peeling guitars, rugged harmonies, and absurdist wit into a sonic dissertation infused with strangeness and sharp angles. Across tracks like "Automation" and "Mist," ideas and grooves emerge and percolate briefly before strumming things off in a totally different, but fully realized direction. And despite the sometimes challenging nature of their songs, Dumbells manage to connect emotionally through their catchy and jagged brand of garage-pop melodicism, making Up Late With a strong first impression that feels refreshing. In a new interview, we chatted with the group about their origins, covering NRBQ, and the memories made when recording the debut album in a sweltering shed.
        https://www.paperfacezine.com/post/the-now-sound-of-today-dumbells

        And I'm done

        siiiick, best people in sydney!

        sounds great

        8 days later

        second single now live. LP out March 21

        this band rocks. hopefully they can do some shows in the usa this fall

        a month later

        Full album streaming a day early over at our bandcamp

        "Primo Sydney buzzsaw pop from members of Shrapnel and Tee Vee Repairman, angling between Undertones- style gotta go charge, tin-roof ‘60s psych-pop buzz, dreamy Teenage Fanclub-esque hooks and continental all timers from recent decades (the Thigh Master 7”s, Bed Wettin Bad Boys). Most of those Australian records you went mad for in the late ‘00s/early ‘10s are ably reflected here – the breadth of experience and instrumental prowess here is both natural and unaffected, so they can move between certain styles easier than some of those older bands could (if they even cared to). Hits so many sweet spots that it could handily replace a lot of records in your collection if you’re feeling the need to minimize, a sentiment I endorse as of late. Do some reps with these Dumbells a few times a week; the only thing that’ll get swole is your soul."- Heathen Disco

        "I’m not exaggerating when I say this is a record many of our readers will be willing to break the bank for. Up Late With, the debut by Dumbells, brings together an all-star Australian lineup featuring members of Shrapnel and Tee Vee Repairmann. Their sound is unpolished, idiosyncratic, and best summed up in one word: crunchy. This is a pop record, but only for those with a distorted sense of what a pop record should be. Melodic? Absolutely. Packed with hooks? Without a doubt. Polished? Not even close. Dumbells bury their hooks in just enough noise to filter out casual listeners, drawing in the true underground rock ‘n’ roll devotees. No wonder Total Punk decided to release this on their Mind Meld Records imprint—Dumbells may be made up of four punks at heart, but they’re channeling something bigger here: a raw, psych-infused indie rock ‘n’ roll sound that transcends genre boundaries.

        Front to back, Up Late With is stellar. A track like Not So Hard would be the highlight of most albums, yet here it’s almost casually tucked into the final stretch. The song is just one example of how Dumbells balance strong songwriting, great melodies, and harmonies with instrumentation that feels both logical and completely unpredictable. Despite the press release calling them “quirky,” I’m struck by how conventionally effective their songs are—then totally blown away by how they twist and reshape those conventions. Dumbells have access to the same chords and notes as everyone else, yet they always seem to choose the right ones, placing them in the most exciting order.

        This is a record packed with two-minute songs bursting with ideas, making the 30-minute runtime feel much longer—yet still leaving you wanting more. Seeds is a super catchy garage pop nugget that keeps getting distracted by some glorious guitar shredding. Automaton opens with a jangly guitar riff straight out of Big Star’s playbook before bridging ‘70s classic rock and ‘90s indie. Dumbells pull from all kinds of influences, and the only reasonable response is to let these talented weirdos do whatever they damn well please.

        Dumbells are Sam Wilkinson (Shrapnel, Sachet), Jen May (Tee Vee Repairmann), Ben Schattner (Shrapnel, VIPP), and Ishka Edmeades (Tee Vee Repairmann, Satanic Togas). Up Late With is out now on Mind Meld Records (LP) and Chrüsimüsi Records (Tape)."- Add To Want List

        It’s unusual for a band with so many ideas swarming around to wield so many sudden, knockout hooks. Primo shit.

        “Get ready for some heavy lifting… Here come Dumbbells with their modern take on a classic Aussie sound. Many consider New Zealand and Australia to be the birthplace of “indie rock,” with labels like Flying Nun and bands like The Clean leading the charge. Well, it would seem indie rockers Dumbbells have manifested some of that original magic on this paisley paved rock ‘n’ roll journey. Maybe it’s osmosis? Maybe it’s Sydney’s luxurious chemtrails? In any case, Sydney punks Dumbbells hit the nail on the head with otherworldly precision with their debut LP Up Late With. No surprise as this group is composed of members of Tee Vee Repairmann and Shrapnel—two distinct heavy hitters from the scene. Up Late With, however, has its own fresh aesthetic—overflowing with garage-y melodic guitar tangles, vocal harmonies, and punchy and unique rhythms. Go ahead and remove that time machine from your online shopping cart, and pick up Dumbells’s rock ‘n’ roll goldmine Up Late With…”
        https://daily.bandcamp.com/best-punk/the-best-punk-on-bandcamp-march-2025

        9 days later

        "Total Punk Records offshoot Mind Meld brings us the debut vinyl from Sydney, Australia’s Dumbells. I gotta say, Up Late with Dumbells feels like a pretty special record, even for someone like me to doesn’t listen to a lot of melodic indie rock-type stuff in this vein. When I first listened to the record, it reminded me of the handful of 90s indie rock touchstones I really love, like Pavement’s Slanted and Enchanted, Guided by Voices’ Alien Lanes, and Sebadoh’s Bakesale. As with those bands, Dumbells make a melodic jangle that sounds like the Byrds and Big Star filtered through REM and sprinkled with a pinch of classic rock absorbed from a childhood spent riding around in the back of mom and dad’s minivan. The hooks are uniformly big, whether the song has a stripped-back punky rhythm a la the Number Ones (see “Seeds” and “Bubbles”) or something gentler and/or more complex. Up Late with Dumbells sounds fucking great too, with crisp tones assembled into an imposing wall of sound that gives these songs a psychedelic depth… bands used to need a recording budget in the tens of thousands of dollars to sound this good. While Up Late with the Dumbells is meaty enough for a track-by-track analysis, I’ll keep it short and just say that if you’re looking for an ambitious, multi-faceted indie rock record with punk energy and concision, I strongly recommend checking this out."
        https://www.sorrystaterecords.com/products/dumbells-up-late-with-12