Newcastle's own punk powerhouse, Dead Mall, are kicking 2025 into high gear. Having burst back onto the scene with 'GASOLINE' after a two-year hiatus, it's clear this isn't the Dead Mall you remember. With a couple of blistering singles under their belt, they've been busy carving out some serious new sonic territory.
The band has recently unleashed their brand-new single, 'SUPERLIMINAL,' alongside the exciting announcement of their debut album of the same name, which is slated for an August 21st release. Get ready, because it's going to be a belter.
This 11-track record was a true labour of love, with the band's own guitarist, Darcy Long, taking the reins on recording, engineering, and mixing. 'SUPERLIMINAL' is a glorious mash-up of styles and influences, dripping with the kind of meticulous detail and personal touches that only come from keeping things truly 'in house'. Expect a riotous collection of up-tempo power jams that proudly showcase their hardcore roots, while seamlessly weaving in elements of alt-rock, nu-metal, power-pop, and even a dash of electronica. Imagine a punk rock melting pot where every track feels tailor-made for a classic 'Tony Hawk Pro Skater' or 'Burnout' soundtrack – pure, unadulterated adrenaline.
The album's title track, 'SUPERLIMINAL,' is arguably their most melodically infectious offering to date. Vocal hooks come at you from every angle, propelled by a lightning-fast, drop-tuned riff that'll have you hankering to take your skateboard for a 120km/h spin. Lyrically, the song dives headfirst into the often-murky waters of media influence and its impact on our opinions and relationships. As the band themselves put it: “‘SUPERLIMINAL’ at its core is about how different political values can affect relationships. It's about how media outlets exploit people's anxieties for ratings, and turn people against each other in the process.”
Adding another layer to the release is a cracking new music video, brought to life by frequent collaborator Nikola Jokanovic (whose impressive resume includes work with dust, dogworld, Poltergeist 9000 & Rum Jungle). Nikola and the band set out to capture the raw energy of the track, landing on a performance-driven concept that truly delivers. Jokanovic's signature style shines through, elevating the classic 'band video' with a host of engaging framing techniques.
Nikola shared his thoughts on the collaboration: “I love working with Dead Mall because they’ll happily let me take a video in any direction and to any weird place we might end up. The energy of Dead Mall’s music somehow manages to make any crazy visual idea I throw at them totally convincing. For this clip, we were aiming to do a classic, performance-style video while making it ‘different’ in some way. I recently moved to Sydney, where I’m almost directly under a flight path - it’s not uncommon for me to see planes overhead about as low as they appear here, which is how I got the idea for the shots with planes flying overhead. Other than that, we were looking for ways to literalise the lyrics of the song - this is how we got specific shots from ‘half answers’, ‘pulling teeth’, ‘cut ties’, etcetera.”
You can check out the new single now, and be sure to connect with the band on Facebook and Instagram for the run up to their new album.
