Album Review: DZ Deathrays - Easing Out of Control - An album that refuses to sit still, and gets better the longer you live with it

DZ Deathrays - Easing Out of Control

Track listing:

1. Easing Out Of Control
2. Sideways
3. Pissing In The Breeze
4. Real Love
5. Skyline
6. Like No Other
7. First Night Fever
8. Ordinary Life
9. Demolition
10. Warped

DZ Deathrays, a trio from Brisbane, Queensland, are made up of Shane Parsons (vocals/guitar), Lachlan Ewbank (lead guitar/vocals) and Simon Ridley (drums). They’re often described as an Australian dance‑punk band — a genre label intriguing enough that I had to look it up the first time I heard it. They first grabbed my attention, along with plenty of others, with Like Peopleback in 2018, and I’ve kept an eye on them ever since. So when this album dropped on 16 January 2016, I dove in immediately. After giving it real time to sink in, here’s what stood out.
The album moves through a genuinely eclectic mix of styles. There are pop‑punk‑leaning anthems like “Out of Control,” which feels like it’s constantly trying to break into a full heavy‑metal moment but never quite tips over the edge. “Sideways” brings a rougher, almost screaming vocal delivery — the kind you can easily imagine fuelling a head‑banging, sweat‑soaked dance floor. There’s a clear punk influence running through these tracks, a restless energy that keeps the album pulsing.
Then the mood shifts. “Real Love” slows the tempo right down, letting piano and keyboard textures soften the edges. The vocals slip into a Daniel Johns‑style electro‑pop falsetto, giving the track a dreamy, unexpected lift. “Like No Other” throws in a cowbell — because of course it does — and somehow makes it work.
“Warped” is the album’s most surprising turn. Acoustic guitar and piano form the backbone, while the vocals once again echo that Daniel Johns melancholy. The structure feels unconventional, almost wandering, with electronic textures weaving in and out. It’s the kind of track that doesn’t hit immediately but grows on you the longer you sit with it — a true slow‑burner.

Overall, this is an album that rewards patience. It’s a grower, the kind of record that reveals more of itself the longer it lives in your rotation. My personal standouts were “Sideways” and “Warped.” They didn’t quite make my top‑tracks playlist for 2026, but they — along with most of the album — comfortably graduated into my main library. The only exception was “Pissing in the Breeze,” which I cut purely on personal taste.