Premiere: Meet Dr Sure's Unusual Practice and their ripper new single, It's Alive

Dr Sure's Unusual Practice is somewhat of a supergroup of Melbourne/Perth local rock legends, with members from Perth ex-pats Hideous Sun Demon, Hyla and more coming together with Dougal Shaw (Breve, Cracodile, Hot Sludge Fundae) to create what's described as peculiar post-punk; combining blistering guitar riffs with sharp lyricism and important themes to create music worth talking about. Their latest single, It's Alive, is the perfect example of the band's aforementioned qualities, bringing together these swirling and at-times dominating guitar riffs that twist and turn underneath impactful vocals that lyrically, take a subtle dig at smartphone culture. There's a touch of nostalgia in there too, bringing these late-80s punk influences forward into 2019, creating a really impressive listen that keeps you on your toes as the melodies warp and spin and twist.

It arrives alongside a two-side cassette tape also featuring their previous single, Busy Bigness, which you can cop HERE via Marthouse Records. There's also a full record planned, a bunch of tour dates and a whole lot more on the horizon, so get to know Dr Sure and his Unusual Practice below before his big year ahead.

Tell us about yourself?

I'm Dr Sure, this is my new music band therapy project Dr Sure's Unusual Practice. It started as a solo project and now it's a real live band. We've been playing around Melbourne since November.

What’s the vibe music-wise?

Some kind of strange - angular - political - post-punk. Taking cues from the '80s and bringing it into the future, tongue-in-cheek and an ear to the ground. A mild social media addiction feeds me endless streams of insanity and confusion to draw from. Generally, bleak themes reflecting a bleak world, but I always serve it up with a sliver of hope or humour.

What are your production and writing processes like?

Just me in the shedio with all the instruments and recording machinery. This first album I've been working towards was all a stream of consciousness type thing, I call it reactive composition. Each instrument is a reaction to the last, the melody a reaction to the music, the lyrics somewhat of a regurgitation of the feed. My brother and I always say 'don't think, just do' and I've tried to put that into practice a lot more with this project than ever before. Something immediate.

Can you tell us about your latest single, It's Alive?

A dig at smartphone culture and my own uncontrollable urges. A human turns into a smartphone limb by limb. The line between human and phone is blurred. Who's controlling who?

I'm unsure. Sometimes in the studio, I pick up my phone to perform a specific task and I come-to 40 mins later reading about the seven types of chemical reaction or looking at a comparison photo of Donald Trump with his wig and fake tan removed and I think how did I get here?

Any shows coming up?

Speed run up the Hume to launch this single/cassette:

Feb 28 - The Tote - Melb w/ Tomgirl, Jacuzzi, Full Flower Moon Band
Mar 01 - The Botany View - Syd w/ Space Boys, Hedy Lamarr

What does 2019 have in store for you?

Here's a copy paste from my notes, all on track so far:

Dr Sure Album Release:

Feb/Mar - single - video - tour
- Syd/Melb confirmed, cassette, finish clip, van?

April - single - video - tour
- Gong/Sth Coast dates confirmed, book Melb/Syd, maybe Bris? video, tandy?

June - album drop - clips - tour
- masters sent, album art (finalise), send off for pressing, more extensive aus tour, keep developing visual/characters, who knew/paradise clips, NZ tour? US, Europe, world?

Where can we find more of your music?

Just the two singles so far. They also exist on cassette (out today through Marthouse Records) and in video form. I've been developing a visual world, some kind of twisted parallel reality that will form as the videos keep coming. Busy Bigness clip is up; It's Alive clip drops next week!

Follow Dr Sure's Unusual Practice: FACEBOOK