Fashionable, fun and fierce, beloved Meanjin-based indie rockers Dusty are back with another face-punching single, unleashing ‘She Makes My Skin Crawl’, along with kicking off their first-ever national tour.
They’ll be at Kings Beach Tavern on 20 October and are keen to show the Sunny Coast what they’ve got to offer.
Known for their powerful sound, unapologetic lyrics and anthemic choruses, Dusty have been making a huge impact in 2023, releasing fan-favourite singles ‘D*ck Pic’ and ‘Brat’ and making multiple festival appearances including Pride Fest, Spaced Out Festival and Mountain Goat Valley Crawl.
Now, returning with a dark, grunge-filled track, ‘She Makes My Skin Crawl’ marks a significant milestone for Annie, Tannum, Harley and Jordan of Dusty, as the first song written together as a band.
“‘She Makes My Skin Crawl’ was the first song we wrote together as a band, it was such a cool experience creating it together and I feel like the band has a little extra love for it knowing we were all part of the creative process,” Tannum explains.
On the song’s meaning, Annie adds: “It’s about the feeling of the person you were in love with moving on and the insecurities that it brings up. The hurt that you inevitably feel when you have to let go and accept the changes.”
Their most punk-infused track to date, Dusty have certainly made a point of taking no prisoners on this emphatic post-relationship anthem, delivering heart-stopping guitar shredding, thundering percussion and Annie’s emotionally-charged vocal performance.
Mixed by Brock Weston (Beddy Rays) with mastering by Matthew Gray (The Screaming Jets), Dusty have shown off their dynamism on this single, embarking on a heavier-than usual sound, while still maintaining their trademark top-of-your-lungs choruses and middle finger anthems.
Definitely no strangers to the stage, Dusty are gearing up for their first-ever interstate headline tour in September, which will see them take their rightful place under the spotlight at six venues across Queensland, NSW and Canberra – tickets on sale now.
Known for their endearing brand of indie-rock, Brisbane/Meanjin-based outfit Dusty launched onto the scene in 2021, winning fans across south-east Queensland and beyond with their dynamic live shows, fun-loving spirit and give no f*cks attitude.
The four-piece finds Annie Newcombe on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Tannum Portelli on bass, Harley Meszaros on lead guitar and Jordan Brunoli (BUGS) on the drums, inspired by Australian acts such as Moaning Lisa, Julia Jacklin, Eliza and The Delusionals and Julia Stone.
Making waves with moody 2021 single ‘Do You Care?’, Dusty quickly caught the attention of Australian Youth Broadcaster triple j / triple j Unearthed, who described the track as “full of conviction” and “showing real-talk levels that you hear from acts like Moaning Lisa”.
The following year saw the band reach new heights with charismatic release ‘Anxiety’, instantly becoming a fan-favorite with a joyous delivery that also opens the conversation around mental health, whilst garnering support from triple j Unearthed, LivewireAU, The AU Review, Scenestr, and being added to Apple Music’s New Rock Playlist.
Dusty continued to turn up the heat, releasing ‘Shitty Guitar’ as the final single before their highly-anticipated debut EP. The release of six-track EP ‘Glitter’ garnered well-deserved support from Music Feeds, The AU Review, Ungrained, MILKY and 4ZZZ, with a title-track spin on triple j’s Home & Hosed, as well as being celebrated by a sold-out prom-themed EP launch at Brisbane’s Tom Cat.
The beginning of 2023 saw Dusty speak out about the importance of consent in new single ‘D*ck Pic’, which secured a triple j spin on Home & Hosed, a feature on the triple j Unearthed podcast as well as landing on triple j Unearthed, SYN and Edge rotation.
The quartet continued to turn heads with their ferocious single ‘Brat’, which was snapped up by community radio, earning another add to SYN rotation, as support from triple j and Unearthed continued to ramp up with Dave Ruby-Howe singing their praises by saying: “I thought their last track was really good. This could be even better. Dusty killing it atm.”
Bringing relatable lyrical content and anthemic energy to the stage, Dusty are quickly becoming one of Brisbane’s most sought-after live acts, having supported the likes of BUGS, Concrete Surfers, Asha Jefferies, The Terry’s, Pacific Avenue, The Rions, Bakers Eddy, Old Mervs, Maddy Jane, Sly Withers, Young Lions and more. The outfit have also landed a string of coveted festival spots such as Pride Fest, Spaced Out Festival Gold Coast and Brisbane, Urban Sport Festival and Mountain Goat Valley Crawl.
