DMA’s - ‘How Many Dreams?’ review: rave-rockers swing big

In DMA’s world, the mission is simple: go big or scuttle back home. Such has been obvious over the band’s career thus far, from 2016 debut ‘Hills End’, all the way through to 2020’s ‘The Glow’, a wide-ranging effort that saw the band double down on their efforts to ditch the early Britpop associations; less Oasis and Blur, and more Underworld, Chemical Brothers and Orbital. Little surprise that Kasabian hand-picked them for a support slot on a tour, as did Arctic Monkeys at their recent shows in Australia.

The Sydney trio’s fourth album ‘How Many Dreams?’ is the latest outing of a sound imbued with charm and reverence, one that is, the band say, the best distillation of what they set out to do in the first place. The band have likened it to their debut, remarking that the wide-eyed approach of ‘Hills End’ has been resurrected, such is their comfort and confidence at their place in the scene.

‘How Many Dreams?’, then, is certainly ambitious and delivered with that loose approach. The opening title track, where rock instrumentation meets big-room EDM, is a fine thing, a subtle nod to Empire Of The Sun’s theatrics while keeping things grounded. The weirder they get, the more the album thrives: closing track ‘De Carle’ has shades of Jagwar Ma and ‘Come With Us’-era Chems, while ‘Something We Are Overcoming’ and ‘Everybody’s Saying Thursday Is The Weekend’ both will pack an almighty chorus live.

If there ever was a moment for DMA’s to really commit to a sound, and to do so fearlessly, it would be on album four – frustratingly, it feels like they’ve held back at points. ‘Dear Future’ has the plod of latter-day Gallagher brothers, while quieter moments ‘Get Ravey’ and ‘Forever’ do little to amp up the album’s bigger set-pieces – they’re an uncomfortable pause while the DJ drops a bit of a stinker.

This isn’t entirely a wasted opportunity, though. ‘How Many Dreams?’ is ambitious and catchy enough to satiate old fans and realign the narrative for those who may have written DMA’s off. But it’s hard to not leave feeling that this was their moment, and they’ve only grabbed it with one hand.