| DMA's | |
| Origin: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Years Active: | –present |
| Label: | I Oh You, Mom + Pop Music, Infectious |
| Current Members: |
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DMA's are an Australian rock band formed in 2012 in Sydney, New South Wales. The band is composed of lead vocalist Tommy O'Dell, lead guitarist Matt Mason, and rhythm guitarist Johnny Took.[1] They originally gained popularity for their debut single "Delete" and for their self-titled EP, which were both released in 2014.[2] The band have since gone on to release four studio albums: Hills End (2016), For Now (2018), The Glow (2020) and How Many Dreams? (2023). All four albums have peaked within the top 10 of the ARIA Albums Chart, with the latter two also reaching the top five in the UK and Scotland.
Johnny Took, Matthew Mason and Tommy O'Dell began playing music together "about two years" before DMA's formed.[3] Took and Mason both played in Sydney alt-country and bluegrass band Little Bastard, with DMA's originally serving as a side project of sorts to it before they began to focus on the latter full time.[4] The band originally formed under the name Dirty Ma's before abbreviating it, hence why the name includes a grocers' apostrophe.[5]
In February 2014, DMA's were signed to I Oh You and released their debut single "Delete", which peaked at number 88 on the ARIA Charts. Their self-titled EP was released on 28 March 2014.
In February 2016, the band released a full-length album titled Hills End.[6] It peaked at number 8 on the ARIA Albums Chart upon release in March 2016.[7] In April 2016 they appeared on the cover of Australian magazine, Happy Mag.[8] Their song "Play It Out" features as one of the songs on FIFA 17, the EA Sports video game.[9]
The band's cover of Cher's "Believe" was voted in at number 6 on Triple J's Hottest 100 2016 list.[10] The video has received over 10.3 million views on YouTube[11] and became the first Like a Version cover to ever rank this highly in the Hottest 100. The cover would later top the inaugural Triple J Hottest 100 of Like a Version in 2023.[12]
In November 2019, the band supported Liam Gallagher on his UK and Ireland tour.[13] The band also went on to support the likes of Richard Ashcroft, Kasabian and The Kooks.[14] In October 2021, they played their largest headline show at Alexandra Palace in London to over 10,000 fans.
On 31 January 2020, the band released "Life Is a Game of Changing", the second single from their third studio album, The Glow, which was released on 10 July 2020.[15] The Glow peaked at number 2 on the Australian charts and number 4 on the UK charts. In October 2020, the band performed at the 2020 AFL Grand Final.[16]
On 20 August 2021, an EP titled I Love You Unconditionally, Sure Am Going to Miss You was released. The band stated "This EP was in the natural trajectory that you can sometimes take in a band. You work with different producers and you want to keep changing, but there's also something in your core that pulls you back. It's cool to get back to your roots sometimes."[17] The lead single "We Are Midnight" was released the same day, which the trio described in a statement as "a noisy guitar pop explosion that brings us back to our roots".[17]
In August 2022, the band released "I Don’t Need to Hide" with DMA's guitarist Jonny Took saying, "There's a confidence you obtain when you find someone who loves you for all your faults, quirks and obscurities."[18]
Further radio singles "Everybody's Saying Thursday's The Weekend", "Fading Like a Picture", "Olympia" and "Something We Are Overcoming" were promoted by the band in the lead-up to the release of their fourth album.
The bands' fourth studio album, How Many Dreams? was released on 31 March 2023. The album launch also included a limited edition collaboration with British sportswear brand Admiral.[19]
Their musical sound has led to comparisons to the bands Oasis and The Stone Roses.[20]
They have also cited influence from Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Sonic Youth, New Order, The Music and Dinosaur Jr in addition to Britpop bands.[21]
See main article: DMA's discography.
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.! |-|rowspan="2"| 2014| themselves| Breakthrough Independent Artist| |rowspan="2"|[22] [23] |-|DMA's | Best Independent Single/EP| |-|rowspan="3"| 2021|rowspan="2"| The Glow| Independent Album of the Year| |rowspan="3"| [24] [25] |-| Best Independent Rock Album or EP| |-| "Criminals" (The Avalanches remix)| Best Independent Dance, Electronica or Club Single| |-| rowspan="3"| 2024| rowspan="2"| I OH YOU/Mushroom Group for DMA's How Many Dreams?| Independent Marketing Team of the Year| | rowspan="3"| [26] |-| Independent Publicity Team of the Year| |-| Konstantin Kersting for DMA's How Many Dreams?| Independent Producer of the Year|
The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters". They commenced in 1982.[27]
! |-| rowspan="2"| 2021 || rowspan="2"| "Silver"
(Matthew Mason, Thomas O’Dell, John Took, Thomas Crandles, Liam Hoskins, Joel Flyger) || Most Performed Alternative Work || || [28] |-| Song of the Year| | [29] |-| 2024| rowspan="1"| "Everybody's Saying Thursday's the Weekend"
(Matthew Mason, Thomas O'Dell, John Took, Liam Hoskins)| Most Performed Alternative Work| |rowspan="1"| [30] |-
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. DMA's have received 14 nominations.
! |-| 2016| Hills End| Breakthrough Artist| |rowspan="4"| [31] |-|rowspan="3"| 2018 |rowspan="3"| For Now | Best Group | |-| Best Independent Release | |-| Best Rock Album | |-|rowspan="5"| 2020 |rowspan="4"| The Glow | Album of the Year | |rowspan="5"| [32] [33] |-| Best Group| |-| Best Independent Release| |-| Best Rock Album| |-| Unplugged & Intimate, Laneway Festival| Best Australian Live Act| |-| rowspan="5"| 2023| rowspan="3"| How Many Dreams?| Album of the Year| | rowspan="5"| [34]
[35] |-| Best Group| |-| Best Rock Album| |-| Joel Burrows for DMA's – "Everybody's Saying Thursday's the Weekend"| Best Video| |-| DMA's Live at Falls Festival| Best Australian Live Act| |-
The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.|-| 2018[36] | For Now| Australian Album of the Year| |-| 2020[37] [38] | The Glow| Australian Album of the Year|
The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) commenced in 2016 to recognise contributions to the live music industry in Australia.
! |-| 2020| DMA's| NSW Act Voice of the Year| | [39] |-| rowspan="2" | 2023| rowspan="2" | DMA's| Best Indie/Rock/Alternative Act| | rowspan="2" | [40] [41] |-| Best Live Act in NSW | |}
The Rolling Stone Australia Awards are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of Rolling Stone magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year.[42] ! |-| 2021| "Life Is a Game of Changing"| Best Single| | [43] |-| 2024| DMA's| Rolling Stone Global Award| | [44] |-