DOLPHIN FRIENDLY // Swimming With Fallen Musical Heroes

When Bryget Chrisfield checks in with Dolphin Friendly’s drummer Ben O’Carroll, they discuss fallen musical heroes, sonic evolution and the milestone moments–first spins on the radio and Rage–that this Auckland quartet has experienced off the back of Hero Skies, the lead single from their upcoming third EP, Won’t Be Fools.

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When congratulated about the fact that the music video for Dolphin Friendly’s latest single, Hero Skies, has already received multiple plays on Rage, drummer Ben O’Carroll confesses, “We didn’t really know what Rage was all about, to be honest, ‘cause it’s sort of an Aussie thing. But we’ve since found out that it’s quite a big deal over there, so we’re thrilled. That’s a bit of a milestone, to get our song on Rage, and also hearing our song played on the radio stations here in New Zealand.”

So where was O’Carroll the first time he heard Hero Skies booming from the radio? “It was only about a few days ago,” he enthuses. “We were first played on Radio Hauraki, which is a reasonably major channel here in New Zealand based up in Auckland there. And a few of my work colleagues–we were staying away for work that night–and we all parked up and listened to Sam [ Mander, lead singer/rhythm guitarist ] being interviewed, and then the song came on. It was a pretty special moment and we all had a bit of a beer for it and celebrated.

“That’s probably one of my biggest achievements, and proudest moments, within the band. I wasn’t actually with the band at the time, but once we all caught up we were high-fiving and shaking hands congratulating each other.”

Okay, now we need to know how O’Carroll earns a crust outside of Dolphin Friendly. “I’ve got an ultrasound and sheep pregnancy scanning business,” he enlightens. “In the farming community it’s called a sheep scanner; it’s a pretty major thing within the agricultural world.”

Dolphin Friendly is a quartet hailing from Auckland with Hero Skies the first taste from their eagerly awaited, forthcoming Won’t Be Fools EP (scheduled for release next March). As depicted in the trippy accompanying music video, which was produced/edited by Wade McClelland (Made By Wade), Hero Skies teleports Dolphin Friendly into the afterlife where they temporarily hang with their fallen musical heroes/influences. O’Carroll explains it was the Hero Skies lyrics that inspired McClelland’s music-video concept: “The song’s about musicians and influences that have gone before us. And we’ve gone on a bit of a trip, and gone and seen [these fallen musical heroes] and hung out with them–that’s sort of what the whole song’s about really.”

Towards the end of the clip, you could be forgiven for thinking that someone slipped ayahuasca into your tea without your knowledge while watching the Dolphin Friendly members’ pupils expand to the size of dish plates. “They look quite funny, don’t they?” the drummer agrees, laughing. “He’s quite good with after-effects I think, Wade; he’s done well. I’m not sure what version you saw, because our label made us make an edited version where we had to take out the drinking beers part and also smoking cigarettes.”

We’re still integrating little bits of that older stuff into the new stuff, but I think it’s just definitely heavier and vocally it’s probably more–louder yelling, almost screaming some parts.
[ Ben O’Carroll ]

“Initially, at the start of the music video Sam buys a packet of cigarettes, and they’re called ‘Dolphin Friendly’, and then we’re all just smoking away on a durry and drinking a beer, a ‘Dolphin Friendly Lager’ or something, and then we sit down at the pier. And Sam looks at the back of the cigarette packet and it says ‘Surgeon General’s Warning: May Cause Psychedelic Episodes’. And then that leads into the storyline of going on the trip up to Morrison Hotel.”

Listening to Hero Skies directly after Dolphin Friendly’s previous single Killing Silence (a reggae-infused protest song acknowledging systemic racism in Aotearoa), the evolution in the band’s sound is staggering in terms of the amount of musical ideas they incorporate into a single song and also just how comfortable they all sound playing together–a solid unit. “I think you’re probably right there,” O’Carroll allows. “We all feel a bit more comfortable not only in playing this music but in the writing style, probably because it’s more of what we enjoy listening to and playing. It’s a lot more rock-orientated, even hard rock in some of the heavier parts.”

O’Carroll reveals Dolphin Friendly’s yet-to-be released material is “influenced heavily by Rage Against The Machine, more of Tom Morello’s stuff–like Audioslave–and even the late Chris Cornell-style vocals” (courtesy of Mander). “And then probably harder-hitting drums,” O’Carroll continues, on what we can expect from their yet-to-released third EP. “We really try to stick to having gnarly guitar solos throughout our songs, we try and keep it a bit more old-school in that regard; just having the guitar solos there, present, a bit more heavy, crunchy riffs and that sorta thing. We’ve taken a while to hone into that sound, I feel. We were more reggae infused with alt.indie-rock, I guess. We’re still integrating little bits of that older stuff into the new stuff, but I think it’s just definitely heavier and vocally it’s probably more–louder yelling, almost screaming some parts.”

The vocal versatility on display throughout Hero Skies is extraordinary to say the least. “I think for the verses we went along with this storytelling vibe–you know, just Sam speaking almost, sort of like Lou Reed–and then it’s almost a little bit rappy throughout that pre-chorus part, and then more ‘90s, driving, punchier rock in the choruses.”

Previously a member of Dolphin Friendly, Connor Jaine produced the entirety of their upcoming Won’t Be Fools EP. Of Jaine, O’Connell tells, “He played bass guitar when we first started, but he was also part of another band called Mako Road–they got quite busy with their career, so he ended up carrying on with them. Since that he’s done a lot of producing and he worked with us on our first EP that we released [2018’s Tunes From The Tuna Can]–he did that in his garage; he was learning as he was going. And he’s been away for a coupla years and learnt lots of crafty tricks and ideas, and came up with the magic that is this new music that we’ve got out now–we’re really stoked and we love it. We’re great mates and we all get along so well and [ Jaine’s ] amazing with his imagination and creativity.”

O’Carroll also points out that Dolphin Friendly received input from someone outside of the band, for the very first time, while working on their forthcoming EP with Jaine manning the consoles. “We’ve always just been the four of us–the guys in the band–talking to each other, being like, ‘Oh well I really like this,’ and, ‘I love that,’ but we’ve never really had someone be like, ‘Oh well have you ever thought about trying to do this?’ or, ‘Maybe change this part around,’ and that sort of thing. So it’s been great having him through the whole producer-type role; he really fulfilled it.”

Like the popular painting Boulevard Of Broken Dreams (featuring James Dean, Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn and Elvis sitting in a bar)–prints of which decorated many uni dorm walls–Hero Skies places fallen icons in the song’s afterlife setting of Morrison Hotel and obliquely references Amy Winehouse, Lennon and Hendrix within its lyrics. Did we miss any of Dolphin Friendly’s deceased musical influences that score a shout-out in Hero Skies? “You got those three,” the drummer confirms, “and then, who else? Oh, Kurt Cobain is the blond guy. I think a quote of his was, ‘If it’s illegal to rock’n’roll then throw my ass in jail,’ which Sam says in the song. Then in the second verse there’s Hendrix and also a bit of an ode to the late great John Bonham–who was, of course, the drummer of Led Zeppelin–about a drum triplet fill and then there’s talk about the levee being broken [‘Felt that triplet blow/ The levee breaks my soul’].” And that’s all you’re getting! There are many more glittering Easter eggs to be hunted within the Hero Skies lyrical content so get cracking!