Last Dinosaurs take us to Japan, where they recorded their new album

Next Friday, Brisbane indie-rock favourites Last Dinosaurs are set to return with Yumeno Garden, an upbeat and charging third album that sees them return to the more guitar-focused, Phoenix-esque sound of their break-out 2012 debut In A Million Years, while also adding in a bunch of exciting new sounds and aural textures that keep it sounding fresh and dynamic (just quietly). It's out October 5th via Dew Process and will arrive in the midst of an Australian tour (deets at the end of this feature), which will see them return to their home-field after an extensive time in Japan recording the new album. Recorded in the ancient town of Arita, a once-bustling but now quiet and peaceful village, back in early 2017, Yumeno Garden is a record that borrows heavily from Japanese culture and Last Dinosaurs' experience in the country, and considering two of the band's prominent members come from Japanese heritage, it seemed like the perfect starting point to kick off album number three. "We went there to seek isolation, says Sean Caskey on their trip to Japan. "Somewhere very regional, very quiet. We wanted to feel like real outsiders in a place for some reason. Often, we don͛t feel like we really belong in Brisbane or Australia musically (even though we love being a Brisbane band), but wanted to record somewhere where that isolation could be felt everywhere, all the time, so we could properly capture it."

The album's final tracklisting ended up being heavily inspired from their recording in Japan, whether it's the album's title - Yumeno Garden - right through to its sound, as Lachlan Caskey explains himself: "We also gained inspiration from the Japanese City Pop movement of the 1980s – a genre of Japanese popular music and art that featured cosmopolitan images of the cityscapes of California, Los Angeles and the American desert through the prism of Japanese artists͛ conceptual designs," he says. "It's a juxtaposition between Japanese culture being very withdrawn and conservative, in contrast to the American/LA way of being, which is so bright, colourful and outgoing," adds Sean. "That difference sort of represents our own modern attitude to the band as well. We've gone from being back seat kinda guys on the last album – whether that's in the studio or working on sharing it with people; to really jumping to the front and taking control. For us, it's like dreaming about the future possibilities and we want people that hear this album to feel like it's coming directly from us. From our hands, our experiences, our thoughts – the way you want to share things with loved ones."

With the album out next Friday, Last Dinosaurs gave us a behind-the-scenes look into the album's creation in Japan, from the studios the album was recorded in, right through to what they got up to in between sessions. Pre-order the record HERE, and dive into the photo gallery below.

Last Dinosaurs taking us behind-the-scenes of their new album's creation in Japan:

The Studios: The bulk of Yumeno Garden was written and recorded in either of these two studios. Lach's room and Sean's upstairs room at the warehouse. AKA Kyohei's Beat Loft and Ryusuke Love Hotel respectively.

Lach's room is like a cozy treehouse. It literally has a tree growing through the balcony, and the sun streams through it in the afternoon.

Sean's room has all the essentials and is constantly bathed in red light. The window on the left looks out onto a warehouse that is very special to us. The symbol on the flag is a recurring motif in Sean's life. It sits on most of his electronics, in necklaces and even as a tattoo.

JAPAN: We spent a few weeks in Arita, a small town in rural Japan. We'd been here twice before, and it is one of the most serene places we've experienced, which makes it the best possible space for writing.

The studio is owned by a lovely guy who is a Doctor of Art (PhD). It sits at the top end of a lumber warehouse that stores and plays jazz music to a whole lot of amazing smelling wood. The best word to describe the atmosphere of the studio and surrounds would be still.

This is the view we had every day. Looking down onto farms, distant homes and a mountain range that fully surrounds the area.

You can't stay in the studio 24/7 no matter how nice. So, between Family Mart runs we explored. Usually this meant getting as high as we could. Altitude wise.

This is Dan's father's house in Arita where we stayed, and it’s very dream-like garden.

RAF'S CHURCH: Raf and Rachel are long-time friends of Sean and Lach. This space was once a gutted old chapel in a field, now a well kitted and beautiful studio in the backyard that Raf kindly has let us use on so many occasions. We came here both to pre-produce with JP, and also to finalise the mix with Chris.

They say the rural spirit of the Church still haunts whoever lingers there long enough... If y'all hear any slide guitar y'all know who gone and done it.

Tour Dates:

Wed, 3rd October - The Foundry, Brisbane
Thu, 4th October - The Lansdowne, Sydney
Sat, 6th October - Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
Sun, 7th October - Northcote Social Club, Melbourne

Supported by Seaside

+ also appearing at Bitter & Twisted, Loch Hart Music Festival, Beach Life, Shakafest, NYE On The Hill + more TBA.

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