From the moment you press “Play” on “Fall Down”—the latest single from Brooklyn-via-Australia punk duo, The Death Set—to the moment it ends a minute and 40 seconds later, you’re taken on an explosive mini-adventure with all the ups, downs, struggles and triumphs of a DIY punk tour.
Videos by American Songwriter
First penned a decade ago when the band was in their heyday of DIY touring, the high-energy punk rock track shines a light onto the love for music and performance held by the minds behind The Death Set: Johnny Siera and Dan Walker. It comes off their new album, How To Tune A Parrot, which dropped September 10 via Cobraside and Behemoth Records.
“I thrived off the chaos of touring… most likely to my detriment,” Walker tells American Songwriter. “Even though there were many occasions I wanted to jump out a window so I wouldn’t have to get back into the van, I loved not having any other destination or responsibility except the next show. I suppose my contribution to the lyrics was an attempt at a high-intensity nose dive through a window into life on the road, squeezed into one and half minutes. The chorus drives home a theme of friendship and the continuous looping of events that ultimately always bring us back to writing more music and going on tour again.”
Likewise, Siera also looks back fondly on the years of touring that laid the foundation for what The Death Set is today. “I think we’ve created a little niche for ourselves over the last 15 years,” he says. “This strange lil mashup of punk rock energy, electronics with hip-hop style production. This song is a balls-to-the-wall energetic thrasher created for the illegal warehouse and the 100 kids going animistic. There was a beautiful naivety to our DIY touring back then, totally going for it, totally broke, never knowing where we would stay, and always making it work. For years, we existed this way, going to as many places as possible worldwide.”
While their days of touring adventitiously might be behind them, their sneering punk energy and the bombastic thrill of their music remain unaltered by the rolling years. “This song is really to make the weirdo kids go nuts,” Siera says. “The soundtrack to underground venues and warehouses where all generations will gather to do bad things and influence the culture to come.”
The Death Set new album How To Tune A Parrot is out now—watch the music video for the single “Fall Down” below:
