Interview + Album Feature | DC MAXWELL
On fighting back against the darkness of the world and that collab with Will Oldham
DC Maxwell joins Tempo to talk about his latest album The Singer and the essential need to sing and dance while remaining unserious in the process. Making this album also helped to not sink in the quagmire of apathy and cynicism while working with a bunch of collaborators he was stunned to have in the credits.
Hello DC, firstly, congratulations on your new album, The Singer, your second full length and in brave new territory. In your own words it’s described as ‘a collection of songs about singing and dancing while the foundations of the world tremble’. How does it feel to have it out in the world?
It feels good to have this one out! I feel like it has been a long time coming and a lot of work to get it out in the world so I am super excited for people to hear it.
I’m interested in the importance of ‘singing and dancing’ for you and the how the idea of that being the focus came to you. Have you always had the desire to do both those things growing up? And who would you say are the biggest influences?
Wow okay, two big questions there. First off -
I guess my focus on it is to boil down what I do as an artist, what every singer does really, is sing and dance on a stage. It is both a completely unserious, but also completely essential (for me at least) part of being alive in this world.
A bit of a genesis moment for the album came after I heard the song The Singer by Nick Cave (a twisted cover of a Johnny Cash song), and I realised that singing and dancing was worth writing a song about, especially as almost everyone has a strange relationship to it in this day and age.
My influences... very hard to say but I think in general I look up to the great ones slugging away brick by brick on the tower of song, Leonard Cohen, PJ Harvey... I also really love Aldous Harding, Bill Callahan and Bonnie “Prince” Billy.
The other theme suggests that when you are doing the previous mentioned things, it’s happening, ‘while the foundations of the world tremble’. What do these foundations look like for you and is it personal or broader to what’s around you? And is it ‘singing and dancing’ that helps you escape and give you hope in the craziness?
I’m not sure if this is just me but I found myself in the last year becoming quite a morbid person. It seemed every time
I woke up and looked at my phone the grim sceptre of death loomed over me like that disgusting vomiting ghost from The Conjuring.
It was a genuine question I had for myself, what is the point in writing and singing songs while the world feels on its last legs?
To answer it I thought back to people who inspired me and lifted me up through low moments of my life. Musicians and friends whose songs changed the course of my existence. It is in honour of them that I keep singing. Not as any escapism, but kind of as a way to fight back against the darkness of the world and to not let yourself sink in the quagmire of apathy and cynicism.
Before your solo venture began you were the former front man of high-octane punk band Roidz (Danger Collective Records) and developed a cult following particularly in the US where you toured several times and were also known for your hectic and unhinged live shows before disbanding in 2020. Can you tell us a little about Roidz, why that finished up and how you ended up starting DC Maxwell.
Roidz started when I was sixteen with a barely listenable ep called Break Up Songs Vol. 1. It was very angsty, very energetic and a great place to pour a lot of teenage emotions. It was a raucous synthy garage punk-pop type thing and it was a hell of a lot of fun. In the band was my brother Lachie on bass, old friend Cam Houston on drums, and bestie Reuben Winter on guitar and producer. Our next two albums SELF ESTEEM and FIGHT NIGHT came out on Danger Collective Records, and we got a few fans in the US and were lucky to play there a little bit before we could even buy a legal drink.
Roidz was crazy because I started so young we’d always be put on first.
And I learned very quickly that to get people’s attention I had to do something hectic. I would gyrate and wail like a possessed banshee and contort my body in ways that would cause an injury were I to try it these days.
It was so much fun and was a huge learning experience for me to learn how to be a front person and how to lead a band. Ultimately though there was a limit to what I could say as a songwriter from this horny teenage perspective I had crafted myself.
DC Maxwell was born out of trying to expand my songwriting, and trying to say something different, less horny but with more impact, I hope.
The album sounds wonderful and seems to really capture the essence of what you are going for. It was produced by Bonnie Knight and features some local legends including Hatchie and Georgia Maq on BVs and Stefan Blair from Good Morning on piano. How do you think they have all complemented what you do?
I think in general they all complemented it very nicely haha. I was super lucky to have a bunch of collaborators on this record that I was and am stunned and honoured to have worked with. It was an awesome experience to see how game and up for it these legends are! And it was a real confidence boost for me as a songwriter that people I hold in very high regard were gassed to be a part of this album.
The other huge collaboration is with American songwriter and actor Will Oldham (Bonnie “Prince” Billy) on the track Half Real. Can you tell us about working with him and how that came about?
Working with Will came about because I asked very nicely.
Will listened to a very scratchy phone recorded demo of the song and heard enough in it to want to work with me.
It turned out that where he was staying in LA was only a literal skip across the road from our studio (an insane thing to occur in the sprawling metropolia of Los Angeles!), it worked so well and so easily that it really felt like fate.
I envisioned that song as a younger and older version of myself talking to each other over the gap of time. So, to have someone of Will’s gravitas and artistic intensity singing those words has been one of the great honours of my career so far.
From the footage I have seen of you performing you bring some high-energy to your live shows. Can you tell us about your live set-up now and if you have plans to launch the album?
Yes, I’m glad you noticed, DC Maxwell rocks hard. Live set up we have Chase Wallace on lead guitar, Cody Broughan on bass and Nick Crameri on drums. All of them consummate professionals and demons on their instruments.
We are going on tour to support the album with
Sydney: August 28, The Chippo
Newcastle: August 30, The Lass (free)
Melbourne: September 12, The Tote
All shows going to be unhinged and so so good, I promise you!
Finally, who are your favourite local Melb/Naarm bands at the moment and who would you like to see interviewed for Tempo
My favs! Toy Shaw (superstar in the making, great songs!), Dogworld are also amazing, also the band Delivery is made of actual angels and they rock!
You should also chat with Naarm based electronic producer Amamelia. One of the best to ever do it!
I also have a deep love and respect for Gareth Liddiard, and I think the album he did under the name Springtime is one of the great Melbourne albums of all time.
For more into and show details check out and follow DC MAXWELL on Instagram