Jun 15 2026, 9.34am / Features
Dear Joey and Brooke, What a wild ride! I just wanted to write to express …
It’s currently a pretty damn exciting time for Sydney side emo punk rockers Father Deer Hands.
MORE: PARKWAY DRIVE: “It’s About Encapsulating The Beauty In It, Through The Darkness” // DUNE RATS: Dance Lessons and Thinking Outside The Box REVIEWS: DUNE RATS: Real Rare Whale // THE INTERRUPTERS: In The Wild // WAAX: At Least I’m Free // I PREVAIL: True Power // PARKWAY DRIVE: Darker Still // STARCRAWLER: She Said // STRAY FROM THE PATH: Euthanasia // FATHER DEER HANDS: Sad Souls Don’t Float Upstream
With their debut the Sad Souls Don’t Float Upstream EP, receiving an incredibly warm reception upon its release, and the recent announcement that the group will be supporting their idols in Tiny Moving Parts next February, there’s certainly a lot to celebrate. Upon jumping on a call with the group’s frontman Matt Betmalik, the excitement was evident, with the singer’s contagious energy seemingly matching that of the group’s upbeat, yet slightly abrasive brand of emo pop-punk.
“Duuuuuuuuudddddddddddeeeee, I’ve been fucking overwhelmed with the love,” he quickly responds when asked about the buzzing reception the group’s debut has received.
“We dropped Sunlight Dance first and the response to that was fucking killer and the response now has just been fucking amazing. I’m sorry for swearing so much, but it’s just been popping off. I’m honestly just overwhelmed.”
It’s an earnest ellation for Betmalik, who for many years, “had a pretty negative outlook on life and the world that [he] saw around [himself].” Having recently adopted a more enthusiastic perspective, the group’s newest single For The First Time In Years, sees Betmalik unpacking the damaging nature of mental health and how one’s outlook can impact their future.
“I guess it’s mainly about looking at the world through a negative lens. Not in a destructive way, more so in a ‘poor me’/ ‘the world’s out to get me’ way. Because really man, the world isn’t out to get you and once you realise that, and take that negative lens off, you improve within yourself. It’s unfamiliar as hell, but I’m making progress. It feels kind of weird to not look at the world through a negative lens but man, it also feels like it’s such a weight lifted.”
Because really man, the world isn’t out to get you and once you realise that, and take that negative lens off, you improve within yourself.
[ Matt Betmalik ]
A weight which is happily shared by the rest of the group, with the singer expressing a clear admiration for his bandmates and their easy going approach to writing.
“We’re just a group of four dudes, we’re all friends and we love each other a lot … it’s kind of the best thing in the whole entire world.”
Having recorded Sad Souls Don’t Float Upstream earlier in the year with Clayton Segelov at The Brain Studios, Father Deer Hands have spent the last few months fleshing out some new material, which according to Betmalik may include some new aspects for the group’s sound.
“I feel like every time we write a new song it feels completely different to the last thing that we did, but it still always remains that … ‘Deer Hands’ quality.”
“We are pretty open when it comes to our sound. We have discussed writing something significantly heavier for our next release, but we’re never going to write straight up metalcore songs. It’ll always still have that ‘Deer Hands’ quality because it’s always going to be be us four dudes in a room, jamming out whatever the fuck sounds cool.”
“It’s done us a massive favour in terms of writing because we never have to worry about writing something that’s ‘too heavy’ or ‘too poppy’. It’s like, why not change it up? Because it means that we can play with bands in our sound and then also play with deathcore bands and stuff and still fit the bill.”
A statement that rings true, with the band recently getting announced as a part of the upcoming Reboot Festival alongside the likes of Young Lions, Rumours and Future Static, as well as earning themselves a spot supporting US trap/metal juggernauts Dropout Kings. Another notch for the currently unsigned Sydney up-and-comers.
