DZ Deathrays
Australian guitar-driven music has often been defined internationally by sunlit melodies and laid-back rhythms, but DZ Deathrays have spent well over a decade pushing in the opposite direction.…
Australian guitar-driven music has often been defined internationally by sunlit melodies and laid-back rhythms, but DZ Deathrays have spent well over a decade pushing in the opposite direction. Since forming in Brisbane, the band have carved out a singular place in contemporary Australian rock with a catalogue of ferocious, inventive records and a live reputation built on relentless energy and precision.
Across seven studio albums and countless tours, DZ Deathrays have cemented themselves as one of Australia’s most enduring and internationally active rock acts. Their career has been marked by a constant drive to evolve—refusing to settle into a single lane while maintaining the visceral immediacy that first drew audiences to them.
From early house parties and DIY venues through to packed theatres and international festival stages, DZ Deathrays have consistently expanded their reach. Arena tours supporting Foo Fighters, packed clubs with Death From Above 1979, The Darkness, Violent Soho & Crystal Castles, appearances at SXSW, Reading and Leeds, a growing number of boutique European Festivals and headline tours across Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe have all formed part of their trajectory. DZ Deathrays can’t be pigeon-holed when it comes to live shows and prove to be ever evolving year after year. Domestically they have been regular fixtures on major festival line-ups including Splendour In The Grass, Laneway Festival and Falls Festival, while continuing to headline their own tours nationally.
At the centre of DZ Deathrays is the long-standing creative partnership between Shane Parsons and Simon Ridley, now joined by Lachlan Ewbank. Together the trio have refined a sound that blends punk urgency, garage rock abrasion and electronic experimentation, creating music that is both confrontational and deeply melodic.
That ethos — to make, challenge, enjoy and continually push forward — has remained a defining thread throughout the band’s work. It is an approach that has allowed DZ Deathrays to evolve while retaining the chaotic spirit of their earliest recordings. Their seventh album Easing Out Of Control marked one of their most adventurous statements, blending blistering riffs with synthesised textures and piano driven expanded arrangements while maintaining the band’s signature intensity.
Working collaboratively with producer Nathan Sheehy, the band built the record through over two recording sessions, initially to be separate EPs then forming one accomplished record filled with twists and turns ultimately leading you to the destination expected of a DZ Deathrays album.
23 Media | Sydney (Gadigal Land) | New York | LosAngeles
Across their catalogue, DZ Deathrays draw on the lineage of Australian guitar music— from AC/DC and INXS through to Silverchair and Tame Impala—while pushing those influences into new territory. Their work carries the spirit of classic rock rebellion but filters it through contemporary production, pop instincts and experimental textures.
Beyond the studio, the band’s reputation has been built on the intensity of their live performances. DZ Deathrays have toured extensively throughout Australia, North America, the United Kingdom and Europe, building a loyal international audience drawn to the band’s explosive stage presence and uncompromising sound.
Over the years they have shared stages with artists across the global alternative spectrum while also collaborating with figures from across music and culture, including award-winning producers, emerging artists and unexpected creative partners. Their music continues to resonate with audiences spanning generations—from long-time fans who discovered them in sweaty club shows to a new wave of listeners encountering the band through streaming platforms and international touring.
More than a decade into their career, DZ Deathrays remain driven by the same instinct that first propelled them forward: a refusal to stand still. Their music balances chaos and craft, distortion and melody, nostalgia and reinvention. It is this restless energy that continues to keep the band at the forefront of Australian rock.
DZ Deathrays speak to the misfits, the obsessives and the lifers—the listeners who see music not simply as entertainment but as an invitation to create, challenge and push forward. It is a philosophy embedded in the band’s mantra: Remember It’s For Fun.
And as their catalogue, touring history and enduring audience show, DZ Deathrays have built a career proving exactly that.