“Lyrically, the record is pretty interesting,” he agrees. “I always felt pretty vulnerable when I was showing them to the guys for the first time, but they kind of tend to leave me alone in that regard. I don’t think they could handle it if I had to run everything past them – I’m pretty lucky in that respect. I guess everyone feels a little naked when they’re putting down vocals, don’t they.” Despite this rawer sense of honesty about what Die! Die! Die! are doing on the album, Wilson insists that SWIM comes from a much better headspace than one would expect. “I was actually in quite an optimistic space when we were writing this album,” he says.
“A lot of it came out while we were touring and I was drawing from a lot of my own life experiences. I feel it stems from a really positive place. I did feel that I had turned a page while making this record – I feel that a chapter in my life had closed, and I felt like I was sleeping on the bad things too much. There’s much more of a positive attitude going on here. I feel like I’m finding a better version of me.”
Last year, the band celebrated its tenth year together – a remarkable feat for any band, but particularly when it’s in regards to something that began in their teenage years. If ever there was a time when things simply were not built to last, it’s your teens – and yet, here we are.
“We know a lot more about what we’re doing at this point,” says Wilson. “We’re not quite as self-conscious, either. There’s a lot of learning that’s gone on within the fold of this band in that time. I was thinking about this the other day – some of our albums were more about drinking than recording. I guess there’s been a lot of change for us, but I’d say it’s the same for any band or any other group of people – particularly when you’re looking at their lives from ages 19 to 29. I’m definitely not as angry or confused as I used to be – I don’t see that as a bad thing.”
The band have also built up a reputation as one of the most enthralling, exciting live bands in contemporary Australasian music. Wilson would often find himself out among the crowd, and the band would often topple over kits and amps at a set’s conclusion. While you shouldn’t head into a D!D!D! show these days with a thirst for blood, you certainly won’t go unrewarded in regards to quality. “I don’t think it’s really toned down much, but it’s certainly more respectful,” says Wilson. “I guess that we play a lot more concerts than we used to. It’s a matter of maintenance these days, now that I think about it. If we’re playing somewhere like Slovakia and we’ve got to be travelling the next day, we can’t just go ahead and trash our gear. I guess it’s all about maturity, but I don’t feel that the shows are any less intense on account of it. I’d say that we’ve even gotten louder.”
BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG
