When Al Chivers was making acerbic, albeit catchy noise rock with Battery Face, solo project DTHPDL must have seemed miles way. However, in ‘The Future’ he has alongside D. MacDonald, Humdrum Jetset and Ross Taylor created a marvelous melange of swimming psychedelia and angular alt.pop. Now a fully-fledged band, we posed a democratic questionnaire to the band…

Who?
DM – DMacz, bass and summer goth clothes
AC – Al, guitar / synths / vocals, spring and fresh meadows
JM – John Muir AKA Humdrum Jetset, lead guitar slingin’, pedal hoppin’, ear splittin’ roustabout

…

When?

AC – Well, I started proceedings in 2009 but we’ve all been playing together since 2014, that’s when DTHPDL came about and was something more. It’s definitely when things became really exciting.

When?

DM – We’ve been lucky to have had a good run of press at the start of 2016 and the plans after are to keep writing and see where things end up from there – we’ve got a split with our Glaswegian / Stonehavenian pals Lush Purr that’ll happen soon and then hopefully another EP potentially by the end of the year. Everything is taken as it comes, as two of us work late some evenings in the week!

AC – The gigolo’s life is a strange and difficult one.

JM – Where do you go, my lovely. Where do you go, I wanna know, my lovely, I wanna know.

AC – Thanks babes. I want to know too.

What?

DM – to me we’re just a pop band but others might disagree! ‘the future’ is a record that at first listen might appear not to fit together but there’s a thread of hopefulness going through the songs that I think makes it work.

AC – I think we’re a bit noisy, a bit discordant but there is an overarching feel of a catchy vibe. It’s probably the amount of Backstreet Boys we all listen to mixed with Meshuggah and Wolf Eyes.

JM – What is love, Oh baby don’t hurt me, Baby don’t hurt me no more

Why?

DM – I mentioned earlier that the Future has a thread of hopefulness running through it and I think that’s really why I certainly enjoy playing music; it’s tough to find light sometimes and this certainly provides it for me!

AC – We’re all in to punk rock and the ethos of the DIY scene. At the heart of that is playing music with your friends, I don’t think I would want to do that if I didn’t enjoy hanging out with these guys. We’re certainly not what Pink Floyd became, distant, miserable, playing endless solos that make flowers wilt and woodland creatures die.

JM – Why do birds suddenly appear, ev’ry time you are near? Just like me, they long to be close to you.

‘The Future’ is out now on Song, by Toad Records. More at www.facebook.com/DTHPDL