Making Music In The Northern Territory

Excited and eager are just two words that are appropriate for up-and-coming Northern Territory group, At The Dakota.

Releasing their inaugural EP, Stories, to critical acclaim earlier this year and spreading their ‘good vibes’ mantra across the country on their first national tour, the five lads have high hopes for the future. And so they should, the easy going salt-washed sounds on Stories are hard to hate, it’s the kind of easy listening you can sink a beer to, in fact At The Dakota encourage it, describing their sound as a “beers on the beach on a Sunday afternoon” affair.

Zachary East lays out the foundations of At The Dakota’s mantra. “The Territorian lifestyle is very much about relaxing and not worrying too much, going with the flow and chilling out. We hope that comes through in our music in terms of people dancing their worries away and having a good time, enjoying life”.

Having originated from the Northern Territory, the group seems intent on encapsulating the lifestyle, beauty and culture of the non-state. Granted, it’s a bit of cliché, however the charm and charisma behind At The Dakota’s tracks, particularly the captivating and powerful vocals from frontman Dylan Podsiadly, seem to go further than just encapsulate those themes in sound, but also in image.

“Our influences definitely are in debt to the NT lifestyle, yeah. The ‘groove-pop’ stems from our music having pop sensibilities, but also having some real groove and encouraging people to dance to our songs. Jonestown is a great example of that, we think."

Hailing from such an isolated city as Darwin, At The Dakota don’t find it difficult to create and are immersed in the local scene.

“It’s like having a house party with all your mates at every show," East explains. "The scene is really supportive and no two bands sound the same, so you’re not having to fit into a certain genre to garner attention.

"There’s a great range of artists as well, so there’s something for every crowd, and we enjoy having mixed billed shows.”

The group are determined to stay true to themselves, straying away from musical trends and derivatives.

“We don’t think there is anyone really influencing us at the moment; we’re very much just writing and playing and creating music that comes naturally to us. And that’s pretty important in our opinion. Staying true to the artist you are truthfully. People can see when you’re pretending to be something else and see straight through it, and doesn’t really speak of the characteristics that makes you interesting or unique as a group. And for us, that’s probably the benefit of being somewhat isolated – you can write whatever you like and take the time to refine it and make it sound great.

“It was very much an idea to record the songs from our live set that people enjoy. We recorded each part individually. We were expecting to be eaten alive by reviewers, like a kind of Citizen Dick moment, but no – everyone seems to be really enjoying the EP! It makes us more excited to get started on our next EP, especially with all the ideas and new songs we’ve built up since releasing Stories.”

Originally published in X-Press Magazine