Last Dinosaurs "KYORYU" (2024)

KYORYU

release date: May 21, 2024

format: digital (13 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,12]

producer: Last Dinosaurs, Oscar Dawson & Scott Horscroft

label: Nettwerk - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "Keys to Your Civic" - 3. "Self-Serving Human Being" - 4. "Paranoia Paradise" (feat. Glaze) - 5. "14 Occasions" - 6. "Wait Your Turn" - 10. "Afterlife"

5th full-length studio or a compilation (?) album by Australian dream pop and indie pop quartet Last Dinosaurs following 1½ years after From Mexico with Love (Oct. 2022), which again followed Yumeno Garden (Oct. 2018). Since their 2022 album, the band released two EPs, RYU (Nov. 2023) and KYO (Apr. 2024), and the tracks from these two actually constitute KYORYU, basically reducing the album to a compilation, but then this has become a quite common promotion procedure - regardless, what you may think of it. But it means that the first five tracks are identical to KYU, and tracks #7-13 are all taken from RYO. The digital issue (from the band's bandcamp site) comes with one extra track (track #6), and the total running time clocks in at 49 minutes.

It's all fine melodic indie / dream pop focusing on harmony-driven arrangements. At times it's a bit too slick, a bit too sugary. For my taste. I find, there's a turn towards K-Pop music on this, but it's nevertheless nicely executed. I just don't suspect, it's an album I will return to that regularly. I simply miss more edge, and a bolder original sound.

2023 'RYU' ep

2024 'KYO' ep

Last Dinosaurs "From Mexico with Love" (2022)

From Mexico with Love

release date: Nov. 4, 2022

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]

producer: James Angus

label: Nettwerk - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 2. "Look Back" - 3. "CDMX" (4,5 / 5) - 5. "Auto-Sabotage" - 8. "The Hating"

4th studio album by Australian indie pop quartet Last Dinosaurs following their so far best album Yumeno Garden (Oct. 2018).

The album showcases a bolder mainstream sound, somewhat in contrast to their recent turn to a more complex rock-sound but it's also a return to the soundscape of the debut, although, with the implication of more nuanced arrangements perhaps more suited for a radio-friendly target.

From Mexico with Love both contains uptempo beats, well-placed guitar-hooks and then some recycling with loans from previous songs, which doesn't establish the album as one of the band's more original ones. The song "CDMX" is the one stand-out single with a happy-go-lucky indie pop lightness and equal share of lush blue-eyed pop and the right amount of Cardigans charm, which really proves the band's potential. The album as such is good, it's fine, and it's also a bit on repeat, although, it's far from mediocre.

[ Atwood Magazine review ]

Last Dinosaurs "Yumeno Garden" (2018)

Yumeno Garden

release date: Oct. 5, 2018

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,76]

producer: Last Dinosaurs, Jean-Paul Fung

label: Dew Process - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "Eleven" - 2. "Dominos" - 3. "Bass God" - 4. "Sense - 5. "Happy" - 7. "Italo Disco" - 9. "Shallow Boy"

3rd studio album by Last Dinosaurs following three years after Wellness (Aug. 2015) is a welcome back to producer Fung, who produced the band's 2012 full-length debut In a Million Years (Mar. 2012), although, this appears as the first album with the band in the role as co-producer.

It's still first and foremost indie pop but Yumeno Garden introduces a stronger dimension of dream pop, which immediately had me thinking of Swedish band The Radio Dept. e.g. Pet Grief (2006). The band sticks firmly to a basic soundscape of simplistic indie pop, and you could argue that the band doesn't seem eager to explore new territory or to experiment with styles, but with a gift for pop and harmony-driven arrangements Yumeno Garden stands as the band's so far best album.

Recommended.

[ AlbumOfTheYear 75 / 100, TheMusic.com.au 3 / 5 stars ]

Last Dinosaurs "Wellness" (2015)

Wellness

release date: Aug. 28, 2015

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,60]

producer: Scott Horscroft

label: Dew Process - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "Take Your Time" - 2. "Evie" - 3. "Karma" - 4. "Wurl" - 6. "Apollo" - 7. "Always" - 8. "Purist" - 9. "Stream" (Audiotree live)

2nd full-length album by Australian indie pop quartet Last Dinosaurs following 3½ years after In a Million Years (Mar. 2012). At some point in 2013, bassist Sam Gethin-Jones left the band reduced to a trio, and back is Michael Sloane, who had been part of the earliest formation of the band back in 2007.

Wellness is better produced, better mixed, and it comes out as a much more originally-sounding album with several fine songs and no fillers. The band still play indie pop, but here they have added more complexity to their songs, and together with added synths and electronic bits, it just feels like a warm southern breeze rooted in Australasia.

Recommended.

[ SputnikMusic 3,8 / 5, AlbumOfTheYear 77 / 100, TheMusic.com.au 4 / 5 stars ]

Last Dinosaurs "In a Million Years" (2012)

In a Million Years [debut]

release date: Mar. 20, 2012

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,42]

producer: Jean-Paul Fung

label: Dew Process - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "Zoom" (4 / 5) - 2. "I Can't Help You" - 3. "Sunday Night" - 4. "Time & Place" - 8. "I Can't Decide" - 10. "Honolulu"

Studio album debut by Australian band Last Dinosaurs following the release of the 2010 EP-debut Back From the Dead (Feb. 2010). The album consists of eleven energetic and melodic indie pop tunes with a total running time of just under 43 minutes. All tracks except one, are credited the quartet of Sean & Lachlan Caskey, Sam Gethin-Jones, and Dan Koyama.

Musically, it's light indie rock, or indie pop with focus on simplistic uptempo hooks and harmony choruses. The band appears inspired by various sources from British indie pop bands, and American college rock scene, but also from the Australasian pop / rock community.

In a Million Years is a blow of fresh air. The album appears extremely coherent - with a tendency to display only little variation, but mostly without becoming repetitous, and when comparing to the two-year old ep debut, this contains better arranged songs and with an audible attempt to appeal to a more rock-oriented fan-base.

It's not the most original output but it's still a fine and noteworthy debut that hightens the level from their simpler ep debut.

[ SputnikMusic 4 / 5 stars ]

Last Dinosaurs "Back From the Dead" (2010)

Back From the Dead (EP) [debut]

release date: Feb. 26, 2010

format: digital (6 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,28]

producer: Jono Ma

label: Dew Process - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "Honolulu" - 2. "As Far as You're Concerned" - 3. "Saturn" - 4. "Alps"

Studio ep debut by Australian quartet Last Dinosaurs consisting of the brothers Caskey: Sean on vocals and rhythm guitar and (younger brother) Lachlan on lead guitar and backing vocals together with bassist Sam Gethin-Jones and drummer Dan Koyama.

This Ep-debut is a melodic and energetic fusion of light-hearted melody-based indie pop with influence from a native pop / rock tradition, and with bonds to British / American and Japanese culture. The songs are well-executed - the only flaw is a tendency to over-simplify arrangements and song structure with an end result putting much focus on short hooks and chorus lines. That said, Last Dinosaurs are definitely worth checking out.