by Jared Sheldon
Full of the ne’er-do-well spirit of The Spits and the fuzzy, lingering guitar shine of Thee Oh Sees, the newest EP from Space Coast punks Dunies signals their transition from strictly DIY recording to high-level sonic creation. “We’re locking in, got our sights set and are actually starting to make real music,” lead vocalist and guitarist Carter Lankes tells PureHoney.
Released in July, Take Off And Die showcases the group’s specific brand of Brevard punk and love of local surf culture. Listening to “Don’t Wanna Go,” with Lankes’ coolly rebellious voice bouncing off the full-band racket, you get the feeling that Dunies don’t need much to be fine; a few Buds, a cool breeze, and some tasty waves.
by Jared Sheldon
Lankes, bassist Brenden Clark, guitarists Zac Drazich and Cory Johnson, and drummer Joey Noble all have ties to Cocoa Beach, where hometown surf legend Kelly Slater has a statue downtown. Since bonding in 2016 over garage rock and metal, Dunies have grown a dedicated fan base of fellow Sunshine State embeds.
The EP is launching them on a very Florida mini-tour of Jacksonville Beach, Cocoa Beach and Lake Worth — cities and towns that, no matter how different, can appreciate Dunies’ surfer punk vision of the Circle Jerks riding a barrel. “Florida is just such a melting pot,” Lankes says. “Even from Cocoa Beach down to West Palm up to Orlando, it’s like three different worlds.” But for all of them, he adds, “There’s an underlying ‘swamp angst.’”
“That’s what we were trying to go for with this album: a hot, crusty Florida,” Lankes says. To get there, they tweaked Lankes’ home studio, Banana River Sound, with better mics and soundproofing. Band members wrote and recorded parts individually and sent tracks off for mixing and mastering to Jonathan Nuñez at Miami’s Sound Artillery Studio.
The EP’s title comes from an ’80s-era surfing term used by Drazich’s dad. “You’re kind of just sending it on a big wave,” Drazich says. “You know you’re gonna eat s***, but you’re going for it anyway. I thought it captured the energy of the new songs well.”
Dunies, Rude Television and Creature Cage perform 7pm Saturday, Sept. 13 at Propaganda in Lake Worth. duniesband.com ~ Olivia Feldman
