The Dune Rats are a band that of course need no introduction if you’re into Australian music. This trio of punk pied pipers have surfed a wave of homegrown success with two ARIA #1 albums under their belts and sold-out tours across the country. As of 2026, they’ve been doing this for sixteen years! Not bad for what started out as a duo with only three chords and the truth.
Dune Rats have recently jumped off tour with UK pop-rocker Yungblud and it’s seriously put some wind in their sails. Their Like A Version covering Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again by The Angels came in at #11 for the Triple J Hottest 100 of Like a Version back in 2022. Last week, they were fortunate to be joined by the man himself, John Brewster, for a live performance of the cover that absolutely blew up the stadium. As the Dune Rats said themselves “Mountains come and go but Aussie pub rock lives on forever”. Words to live by!
Coinciding with the success of their recent tour, Dune Rats have decided that this year is the year to bring it all back to the beginning. I’ve often heard the phrase “I miss the old Dunies” since the release of their sophomore album The Kids Will Know It’s Bullshit, which is ironic because that whole album was all about the Dune Rats being themselves. But I know what people are really getting at is The Beach Boys meets Ramones sound that characterised their EP’s and the debut self-titled album. Well if you fall into this camp, you’re in a lot of luck.
Their latest single Sharks takes you straight back to Sexy Beach. What an EP that was! This single came straight from the vaults of the early days. It features the same springy, reverb drenched guitars and laconic pace that we all latched onto over a decade ago now. Danny’s voice has that youth yet hoarseness about it that immediately reminds you of simpler times in your life. Back when you were young, dumb, and had too many cones.
Funnily enough, that’s sort of what the song is about as well. The Dune Rats tell me that:
“Sharks is about going against the current of the norm, and following what you wanna do even though you’re at the time it seems crazy to achieve it. When you’re in a band, a lot of friends and family think you’re mental to believe it’ll be your career.”
A very relatable sentiment, that’s for sure!
Along with Sharks, they’ve also re-recorded an old Sexy Beach favourite, Fuck It!, a prelude to their upcoming EP Old Mates which drops on March 6th. This one serves as a collection of their favourite tracks from the EP days. I was glad to see re-recorded versions of Ratbags! and On Our Own! also seem to be forthcoming on this one.
Along with essentially getting an Ekka showbag of all the EP tracks, Dunies have also blessed us with an Old Mates tour doing all of the old favorites. They’ve kept Red Light Green Light on the setlist since it came out but it’s definitely been a while since I’ve heard songs like Pogo and Stoner Pop live. For both anyone who remembers the old days and for anyone curses missing them, this tour should go down a real treat.Tickets are on sale now so don’t sleep on it, they’ll be gone faster than you can say UP! We’ll see you all in the pit.
You can give Sharks a listen below:
