Lashings Of Emotion With LUKE BENTHAM From THE DIRTY NIL

Interview by Kris Peters
After playing together in high school, guitarist Luke Bentham and
drummer Kyle Fisher decided to take on the world by forming The
Dirty Nil in 2006. The following year, they won the Juno Award for
Breakthrough Group of the Year, kickstarting a career that would
see the Canadian band rise to prominence over four albums and
setting the band on a collision course with destiny.
That meeting of superpowers seems set to transpire with the release
of The Dirty Nil's fifth studio album, The Lash, on July 25.
Recorded in just over two weeks, The Lash sees The Dirty Nil tap
into an urgency of evolution that has been simmering quietly below
the surface but has finally set itself free.
Thematically, The Lash trades the band's usual romantic optimism
for a cathartic scream, tackling everything from music industry
burnout to heartbreak in a body of work that has been described as
Luke's therapy record by Fisher. Stripping back the glitz and glam,
The Dirty Nil go full-throttle on what matters most: no frills,
just ferocity and good times in abundance.
Bentham recently sat down with HEAVY to tell us more.
"We are gearing up to release our fifth studio album, The Lash,
which unequivocally, in my opinion, is our best album," he began.
"And I really do mean that sincerely. I know you probably get a lot
of people on here saying that through perhaps gritted teeth, but
this one, we do feel very strongly about it, and so we're extremely
proud to present it to the world."
We mention the more stripped back, raw sound promised on the
album.
"The recording process was much faster and more stripped back than
what we've pretty much ever done before," Bentham nodded. "We did
it in two weeks with our friend down the street. Traditionally,
we've worked with a producer from Seattle, who's an incredible
producer with a huge resume of incredible albums, but this time we
just did it with our friend down the street. So it was a very
different process that way. During the album cycle for the last
album, there wasn't a huge break or anything, and I think (with
this one) we were just really feeling confident as a band, and the
material came together very naturally and easily. I think that's
part of the reason why I have such positive feelings about it, is
because it wasn't a struggle."
In the full interview, Luke highlighted the emotional depth of the
album, expressing a connection to the darker aspects of human
experience through music, and noted the introduction of strings as
a new element in their sound. He shared an anecdote about a visit
to the Vatican that inspired his songwriting, particularly a bronze
relief that influenced the album's themes, although their attempt
to use the artwork for the cover was halted by a cease and desist
from the Vatican. He also reflected on the band's growth since
their debut, emphasizing their increased musical competence and
willingness to experiment, while remaining optimistic about future
creative endeavours and more.


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