PREMIERE: Get Around Top End Punks Danger Den's New Single 'Drag Me Down'

Sometimes the secret sauce to a good jam are discovered in towns less travelled. The Top End region is no stranger to us with their scorching hot alternative musical talent (not to mention that climate!). Remember the ever-so-brooding alternative act Draft Day? Or perhaps you're more familiar with Darwin-born melodic hardcore now Melbourne-based Tapestry?

Proving that Australia's northernmost city is brimming full of insurmountable talent, upcoming pop punk four piece Danger Den are crashing onto the scene to cover a hole in the vast punk landscape of the country with new single 'Drag Me Down'. Cutting in with a hella catchy melody falling somewhere between poppier riffs and a skate-punk attitude, this energetic outfit are putting their own spin on Australian pop punk. Once you catch a dose of 'Drag Me Down', you'll be pining for winter to end promptly so you can catch some much-needed beach hangs. 

Think of a cheeky hybrid between Dune Rats, Stand Atlantic and Wishful Thinking, and that's kinda the effect that Danger Den are giving us here. But to get the lowdown on what Darwin's newest punks are REALLY all about, we decided we'd chat with vocalist Jeremy Uyloan to uncover further...

Welcome Danger Den! First up, introduce yourselves…

Jeremy: Hey! I’m Jeremy, I’m the lead singer and lead guitarist.

Callan: I’m Callan, I play bass and sing.

Brendan: I’m Brendan, I play rhythm guitar and I scream sometimes.

Morgan: I’m Morgan and I play the drums.

Your new single ‘Drag Me Down’ is chockful of fun and kinda throws us to summer festival vibes with its high-energy riffage. Can you shed some light on what your new song is about?

Jeremy: So the short answer for that one is that 'Drag Me Down' is about a girl...

Now for the long answer! It’s pretty much your generic pop punk love song but it didn’t really start out that way or intended to go that way at all.

When I first started writing 'Drag Me Down', I was at a point where I was just fed up with a lot of things. I was fed up with my job, I was fed up with people, I was fed up with uni, I was fed up with life basically. I remember one morning when I was at work, in my head I sang the melody and words “so pull yourself together baby I don’t want you dragging me down.” So I was like hey that’s pretty catchy, so when I got back home I picked up the guitar and sang it again and then the words “I’m just so tired all the time and my patience is running out” came out.

Anyways, I spent about a week writing that song and for some reason I decided to turn it into a love song because maybe more people would relate to it but yeah that’s the basic gist of it.

I can sense a pretty unique, laidback Australian punk sound coming from you lot. Who are your musical influences?

Jeremy: I’m glad you feel that way about the track! It’s funny because a lot of my influences are mostly American bands. My favourite bands of all time consist of Green Day, The Gaslight Anthem, Never Shout Never, Motley Crüe, Blink-182 and All Time Low just to name a few. As for Australian bands that I enjoy on the daily, they are Tonight Alive, Yours Truly, Stand Atlantic and 5 Seconds of Summer, which is kinda funny because they’re all from Sydney!

From Tapestry to Draft Day to Danger Den… The Top End music scene sure has some unique musical flavours that can’t really be found anywhere else in Australia. What is it about the region that makes musicians stand out?

Jeremy: For as long as I can remember I think the music scene in the Northern Territory has always been kinda like that and I don’t know why... I guess the different cultures and backgrounds that the NT have and the rest of Australia really do show in the music as well. But yeah it’s crazy, Tapestry and Draft Day are amazing and that's only just scratching the surface of what we have up here.

Do you feel pressure from the success your fellow musicians have attained in the music industry, and does it push you even further to be the best version of Danger Den as possible?

Jeremy: It’s not really the pressure that we feel but more of the motivation it gives us. Because what that shows us is that even a small Darwin band can also gain success in the music industry. It shows us that we don’t have to live in the big cities such as Melbourne or Brisbane to get our music out there and if those bands can do it maybe we can too. Besides, Darwin is looking pretty good right now with the way things are during this pandemic!

Yeah, that's it! I suppose the good thing about living in Darwin is the lack of restrictions within the past year. What was living in the Top End like the past 12 months?

Jeremy: Honestly, it felt as if nothing really changed for us here in Darwin! From the things I hear about how things are down south or from my family overseas you hear a lot of crazy stuff like having to wear face shields and mask or curfews whereas here in Darwin, life is practically normal.

For anyone who’s looking to travel to the Top End soon, what’s the #1 thing one should pack in their luggage to get them through their visit?

Jeremy: That’s a hard question actually! But it’s either Sunscreen, a lot of sunscreen or insect repellent!

Staying sun smart is always a good idea! So following ‘Drag Me Down’, what else can we expect from Danger Den over the next few months?

Jeremy: Definitely some more new music so stay tuned for that. I don’t mean to sound like a Soundcloud rapper but big things are coming...

Any last words you’d like to say to our readers?

Jeremy: I just wanna say thanks to everybody for reading and sticking around till the end. Be sure to check out our new single if you haven’t already. Check us out on Triple J Unearthed and follow us on our Facebook and Instagram!

You heard him! Keep tabs on Danger Den here: Facebook | Instagram 

Interview by Tamara May @citylightstam

Danger Den's debut single 'Drag Me Down' is out tomorrow. Pre-save here