Last Dinosaurs is an Australian indie rock band from Brisbane, Queensland,[1] Australia who formed in 2007. The band consists of Sean Caskey (Lead/Backup Vocals, Rhythm/Lead guitar), Lachlan Caskey (Lead/Backup vocals, Lead/Rhythm guitar), Danjuro Koyama (Drums) and Michael Sloane (Bass).[2] Koyama and the Caskey brothers are all of Japanese descent, and the band have toured and frequently make visits to Japan.[3] The band formed with Sean and Dan upon meeting each other during High School and realising they had an equal passion for music. They first formed a band called "The Cairos"[4] (which included Alistar Richardson/Zefereli, who was their touring drummer during 2011/2012) before writing music for Last Dinosaurs. Later on, Lachlan and Sam Gethin-Jones joined, their bassist who stayed until 2013 and was replaced by Michael Sloane.
On 28 August 2015, Last Dinosaurs released their second album, Wellness. The album's release was preceded by the singles "Evie" and "Apollo".
On 5 October 2018, the band released their third album, Yumeno Garden, following their two singles released that year, "Dominos" and "Eleven". The band wanted to step away from big-budget production because they felt they were mature enough to be responsible for their music, admitting there were things about their previous works they wished had done differently or continued doing contrary to what was eventually released. Thus, "Yumeno Garden" is almost entirely self-produced. The first half of the album has vocals from Sean, while the second half has vocals from Lachlan. Lachlan's half realises old songs he uploaded to SoundCloud under his alias "Notes From Under Ground", giving them refined sounds, lyrics, or even completely different arrangements.
In 2019 and 2020, the band released two standalone singles, "FMU" and "Flying", respectively, which were self-produced with the help of other producers, such as Jean Paul-Fung, who also produced their debut.
On 4 November 2022, they released their fourth album titled "From Mexico With Love", which is also self-produced but with the help of producer James Angus. The album followed after six singles released periodically throughout 2022 by the label, starting with "Collect Call", followed by "Look Back", "CDMX", "The Hating", "Auto-Sabotage", and finally "Put Up With The Weather!". This album was written entirely by Lachlan in Mexico in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, while the other members were separated in Australia. This album is notable for Lachlan performing most of the vocals and for containing many genres.
The band is named after the song "Last Dinosaur" by the Japanese rock band The Pillows.[8]
History
Formation and early years (2007–2009)
In 2007, frontman Sean Caskey and drummer Dan Koyama met during high school and developed a strong interest in music. Soon afterwards, Sean's younger brother Lachlan joined the band as lead guitarist. Sam Gethin-Jones, a talented drummer in the Brisbane music scene, tried his hand at bass and completed the original Last Dinosaurs quartet. Before Sam left the band in 2013, the Last Dinosaurs were 3/8 Japanese and 1/4 Jewish.
Early Success and "Back From The Dead" (2009–2010)
After launching their debut extended-play in 2010, the band found success after posting their demo to the Triple J Unearthed project.[9] Not long after, they were interviewed by radio DJ Zan Rowe. The hit track "Honolulu" from Back from the Dead was placed on high rotation on national broadcaster Triple J, quickly gaining the band recognition in the music community.[10] With their name popping up in music publications and blogs and gaining fans through the airing of their songs on Triple J, the band was invited to play at mainstream music festivals including, Splendour in the Grass, the Laneway Festival, the Falls Festival and Southbound,[11] and have supported bands such as Foals, Matt & Kim, Lost Valentinos and Foster the People.
"In a Million Years" (2011–2012)
In early 2011, the band announced that they planned to record their debut album after their "Back from the Dead" tour in mid-2010. In June 2011, the band started a Tumblr blog narrating their recording process for the album with producer Jean-Paul Fung at BJB Studios in Sydney, Australia.[12] The album In a Million Years was released on 2 March 2012. The album made an Australian Top 10 Debut,[13] ranking eighth on the Australian Albums Chart and number 2 on the digital album charts. Due to ticket demand, the band completed the sold-out Million Years national tour, with multiple shows in many cities. The band then completed a tour of the UK and Europe and later released the album in the UK in September 2012.[14]
"Wellness" (2013–2015)
After the release of their debut album in 2012, Last Dinosaurs experienced several changes that have not affected the band in any significant way. Despite these changes, however, various new opportunities for the band arose through 2013 and 2014, and Last Dinosaurs continued with plans to release a follow-up album to In a Million Years.
On 23 July 2013, Sam Gethin-Jones posted a statement on the band's Facebook page formally announcing that he was leaving the band.[15] "For the band to move forward in the strongest way possible, it is best that we part ways now," he said. Although he did not explain why he was leaving, he assured fans that he was not leaving music altogether, and his departure was the start of a "different pathway [for him] to follow." He thanked fans and assured them that there was no bad blood between the four.
On 13 October 2013, Last Dinosaurs officially announced through Twitter that the band had begun writing their second album.[16]
As a result of Gethin-Jones' departure from Last Dinosaurs, the band lost its bass guitarist, leaving a significant gap in the quartet's line-up. Beginning with Last Dinosaurs' South African tour in September 2013, Michael Sloane toured with the band, substituting as bass player and providing backing vocals. A friend of the band, Sloane was the band's original bassist and had previously worked with the band numerous times, directing the music videos for "Zoom", "Time and Place", and "Andy". On 28 January 2014, Last Dinosaurs officially announced that Michael had returned after four months with the band and joined as bassist.[17]
After a several months-long break from touring internationally through South Africa and Asia, Last Dinosaurs completed writing for their next album and were finally ready to record. In late November and early December 2014, Last Dinosaurs announced via Facebook and Twitter that the band was set to commence recording their unnamed new album on 3 December 2014. As of 20 March 2015, Last Dinosaurs worked on Wellness at The Grove Studios near Gosford, New South Wales. The band posted photos and updates to social media and their website through the production process.
In response to a question via Twitter, Last Dinosaurs' manager noted on 7 April 2015 that the band's first single from their upcoming album would be tentatively released in about five weeks, indicating a May 2015 release.[18]
On 1 May 2015, Last Dinosaurs released "Evie", the first single from their upcoming second album Wellness. "Evie" was premiered by Linda Marigliano on Triple J's "Good Nights" program on 30 April 2015.
The second single, "Apollo", was also premiered by Marigliano on Triple J's Good Nights program on 15 July 2015, along with the announcement of Last Dinosaurs' second album, Wellness.
Wellness was released internationally on 28 August 2015. The album features all new songs except "Zero" and "Stream", which the band debuted live while touring in 2013.[19][20]Wellness debuted at number 18 in the Australian ARIA Charts, ten spots lower than In a Million Years reached.[21]
Last Dinosaurs then went on their Wellness tour,[22] their first show on 15 September 2015 and their final one on 18 October 2015. They showcased their songs in the Wellness album on the tour.
The Last Dinosaurs also went on the Australia-exclusive tour, "Miracle Methods".[23] The tour brought them to Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.
"Yumeno Garden" (2018–2019)
On 20 February 2018, Last Dinosaurs Released their first new single accompanied by two music videos, "Dominos" was the beginning of their new era. One video was footage of the band playing the song live at their release party for the single, and the other was the official music video for Dominos. They released "Eleven" alongside "Dominos" on 4 July 2018. Soon after, a music video for "Eleven" was uploaded on 30 July 2018.
On 5 October 2018, the band's third album, Yumeno Garden, was released, preceded by the singles "Dominos" and "Eleven". There was an album launch party held that night, where Last Dinosaurs showcased their brand-new album. This third album was the band's first-ever complete creation, entirely do-it-yourself, as they took it upon themselves to write, mix, and produce the songs single-handedly.
On 24 April 2019, Last Dinosaurs announced a European tour, playing them in late November. Shortly after completing their first US tour in the spring, they announced they would return to more US cities in October/November 2019.
Standalone singles (2019-2020)
On 30 September 2019, Last Dinosaurs released a new single titled "FMU" just before they left to embark on their lengthy US/EU tour. This song premiered on Triple J's "Good Nights" show with Ebony Boadu. It has been spoken of several times in interviews that the meaning of the song's lyrics relates to the tense relationship between Hong Kong and China.
On 17 April 2020, the band released another single titled "Flying", initially been a demo on Lachlan's SoundCloud. The song is a departure from their usual indie rock sound and gears more towards house music and nu-disco.[24] The band announced through Instagram the following year that their fourth album had been completed.
"From Mexico With Love" (2022)
On 11 February 2022, the band released another single titled "Collect Call".[25] Later, they released the single "Look Back" on 25 March.[26] On 5 May, another single was released called "CDMX". On 26 May, the band announced their upcoming album, From Mexico With Love, set for release on 4 November.[27] After the announcement, the band released three more singles before the release: "The Hating" on 23 June, "Auto-Sabotage" on 4 August, and "Put Up With The Weather!" on 15 September.
Regarding the album, In a press statement, guitarist and co-lead vocalist Lachlan Caskey stated that the album was written amidst the COVID-19 pandemic while quarantining in Mexico. "Mexico was more than just a place to quarantine", says Caskey. "It was an inspiration as complex as the album itself". The band and James Agnus co-produced the effort once Caskey returned to Australia, and it is their first album to feature the latter as the sole lead vocalist.[28]
When Australia closed its borders due to COVID, Lachlan was stuck in Canada before travelling to Mexico to work on the album in creative solitude. "In Mexico, I had a lot of time to think about life, face the demons, and figure stuff out. But there were also rapturous moments where I felt so free," says Lachlan of the writing process.
While there is a stark contrast between the intense sentiments of the album and its upbeat Japanese city pop-inspired melodies, that paradoxical nature is part of their musical DNA. Being half Japanese, the Caskey brothers attribute it to their upbringing watching Studio Ghibli films. "They border on heart-breaking, but the music is sweet," says Sean," That's where I got my melodic sense. I think melancholy is a big part of Japanese culture." To Lachlan, the hidden nature of these messages makes them even more powerful: "Melancholy was what made us want to be musicians in the first place," says Lachlan, "The Strokes, The Beach Boys. It's the idea that someone who really listens would say it's a sad song, but a passive listener wouldn't get it."[29]
"KYORYU" (2023-2024)
After the times of 2020, Sean Caskey managed to start writing more music again after a long time. For the next project for the band, he figured he took the band to a new and different route, in the form of a concept album with its own carefully crafted universe and story with fleshed out characters.[30] Sean had stumbled upon an AI artist on Instagram, "Luke Nugent", and caught his eyes on an image [31] depicting two characters in a futuristic setting, one holding a mini television device. Sean, mesmerised by the image, found himself imagining music coming out and being broadcast from the small device. This was where he cemented the overall idea for KYORYU and started basing his side of the album specifically on an AI Satellite generating music. Both EP's we're teased by two "transmission" videos [32][33] on YouTube for each EP, basically explaining the premise of each EP and exploring the story for the album as a whole.
On 10 November 2023, they released the EP RYU, containing the singles "Afterlife" (released September 1st),[34] and "Walking on Ice" (released October 6th).
Right after the new year, "N.P.D" was announced as the next single on January 12th for the next EP "KYO". After N.P.D and its music video, a second single "Keys To Your Civic" was released along with its music video on the 23rd of February. Finally, KYO released on the 5th of April 2024, finishing the KYORYU project. Like Sean, Lachlan Caskey also wanted to pitch in his own idea for his half of the album. While "RYU" focused on the AI Generated music from a satellite, Lachlan wanted "KYO" to center around a central character "Kyohei", who's story we progress through as each track in KYO plays. [35]
KYORYU also released with two mangas, one for the story of RYU and the other for KYO. [36][37]
For context, RYU and KYO are short for "Ryusuke and "Kyohei, Sean and Lachlan's Japanese middle names respectively. Coincidentally, combined, "KYORYU" translates to "Dinosaur" in Japanese.
Members
Current
Sean Caskey – Lead/Backup Vocals, Rhythm/Lead Guitar (2007–Present)
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