Snarling imagery of the Grim Reaper and skulls aside, The Dirty Nil’s second album proper ‘Master Volume’ offers up a raucous good time.
“[It’s a] humorous reflection upon an otherwise morbid subject,” suggests singer and guitarist Luke Bentham.
The record was partially inspired by the Canadian trio’s time on the road with debut record ‘Higher Power’, which arrived back in 2016.
“Not exclusively, but it’s certainly [influenced by] all the touring that we’ve done, and seeing all these mangled car wrecks at the side of the road,” Luke explains.
“You see them so often, and these disfigured metal, charred things lying beside the highway, wherever we’re driving, and we used to come to the inevitable conclusion that that could be us very, very easily because of how much we’re on the interstate system throughout any given year.”
If it’s the world they think awaits them that often inspires a band’s debut album, the follow-up is usually informed by what they find once hitting that open road.
“Adjusting to a life of pretty much constant mobility, and the instability that comes with that, you’re bound to have a lot of trial by error and fire along the way,” Luke muses of his new, more worldly lifestyle.
“It’s a double-edged sword because it sucks when you’ve got eight hours in a van to reflect upon what’s going on in your life, what you’re not exactly happy about; but in a positive way, it gives you some fodder to write about.”
