Dead Mall Sets The Newcastle Punk Scene Ablaze With Their Returning Single ‘GASOLINE’

Newcastle punks Dead Mall have returned to the scene for the first time since 2023, bringing with them their meteoric single GASOLINE. 

Working away over the past year and a bit, the band have hustled to create a fresh batch of music to follow up their 2023 single CHRIS MARTIAN. In doing so, the five-piece have been able to accomplish an evolved hardcore sound that places their developed production and songwriting at the forefront.

The track was recorded, mixed and produced by the band’s guitarist Darcy Long, and mastered by Alan Douches (who has worked with the likes of Misfits, Bad Brains and more), and features the first vocal track laid down at the first session that led to GASOLINE’s creation. Inspired by the sound of post-hardcore band Rival Schools, frontman Ruairi Burns recalls spearheading the vocal melody for the song, which originally featured no vocals. 

“We spent the majority of the last 12 months working on new material, and this was the first song I wanted to work on vocally. We generally divide up the lyrical duties in the band, but originally, this song had no vocals, just riffs. But every time I heard it, I could imagine the melodies really naturally, so I pushed for words,” he said.

“I'm a huge Rival Schools fan and I remember trying to dial in a similar flow to Walter Schriefels. As soon as I had his voice in my head, the song came together really quickly.”

Burns’ knack for infectious one-liners and niche references birth GASOLINE’s reference to a long-running Deep Thoughts skit which played on Saturday Night Live in the 90s. 

“Lyrically, I was trying to write a Jack Handey joke. He had this segment on SNL called Deep Thoughts (intro by Phil Hartman). I don't think he ever stopped writing them either (since leaving the show 20 something years ago). The opening line of the song “it is comforting to know, the day that I snap I have a list of people ready with their last known address” is a good example of the stuff he used to write – observational one-liners that seem profound on first glance, but don’t mean a whole lot once you read into it,” he said.

“I originally wanted to title it Common Sense, which I thought reflected the sensibilities of Deep Thoughts. But once the 'gasoline' section was added (which was improvised in the studio), there was no going back. It was GASOLINE, the obvious answer to revenge.”

Check out Dead Mall’s latest GASOLINE below.