Nostalgia packed indie-surf lads Dutch Criminal Record are joining us at The Bodega following the release of their latest album Novium, so we got to know ’em!
Hey guys, we hope you’re well! Your tour kicks off next month, how are you feeling ahead of getting out on the road?
Hello! I think we’re at the point now where the nerves are kicking a bit as we’re getting everything ready, got a few more rehearsals booked to get the set ship shape but it should be good fun!
You’ve said that your debut album Novium represents a culmination of everything you’ve achieved up to this point. The early roots of this band formed whilst you were in secondary school right? How has the musical relationship developed and grown since then?
It’s changed a lot, we’ve had members come and go and obviously when you’re making music at school you have so much free time whereas now it’s more of a struggle. But musically I think there’s been a real advantage of playing together for such a long time it’s very reassuring being on stage having played hundreds of gigs together and the same with working in the studio we understand each other and as a result can leave more stuff to being spontaneous on the day rather than having to over rehearse.
What was the writing and recording process like for this record? Have these tracks been around for a while or were the specifically written to be on the debut album?
All the tracks were written between 2020-2023 and the record itself took a little over two years to record (Jan 2022 – March 2024) and some of the tracks were written during that period. It actually took so long to make that we had to put out an EP in the middle (Apathy Mixtape) full of songs that were meant to go on the album and then wrote more but we all really enjoyed the process. I actually think taking that length of time meant we ended up with stuff we were all happy with but that said for the next record it would be fun to do it over a shorter period like a couple months and see what happens.
There’s a real indie-surf sound on the record that really amplifies that coming of age feel. Do you feel that growing up close to the coast influenced you to go for that sun soaked approach?
Absolutely, I think we realised pretty young that it was something we had unique about our location compared with lots of other bands. As a result I remember really identifying with The Beach Boys and more modern bands like Real Estate who had a definite “summery” “surfy” sound and thinking we could do the same thing but in the UK.
Is there any more material in the pipeline that we can expect to hear on tour?
We’ve got a new cover out of Chappell Roan’s Good Luck, Babe! which we will be playing live on tour too, but apart from that we’re heading into the studio to begin work on an EP.
Lastly are there any crazy pre-show rituals that we should be aware of before you hit the stage at our place?
I feel like we don’t have anything too exciting mostly just rushing around trying to make sure everyone is where they should be. I find people have a habit of disappearing the moment before you’re meant to go on stage. It would be nice to get to the size where you could have a pre show routine as everything else is taken care of, but Joe and I try and warm our vocals up before we go on which is a good habit!
See you soon!
Dutch Criminal Record join us at The Bodega on the 21st February. Tickets on sale now.
