HAMMERS: Riding the Death Wobbles to Debut Album

HAMMERS — 'Death Wobbles'

Heatseeker 🔥 Post-hardcore grit, dark humour and concrete-bowl philosophy at full throttle.

Credibility like this isn’t manufactured. It’s earned by turning up loud, staying weird, and never sanding down the sharp edges. HAMMERS have been doing just that for years, becoming one of the Gold Coast’s most beloved heavy exports — not through hype, but through heat.

With 'Death Wobbles' arriving as both a new single and the title of their long-awaited debut album, HAMMERS feel less like a band “breaking through” and more like one finally being met where they’ve already been standing and waiting. The track hits like a controlled spill. All lurch, groove and grit. A riff-driven freefall that doesn't quite find its feet, but somehow lands every punch. It’s heavy without posturing, thoughtful without losing its teeth, and funny in that dark, knowing way that only bands who’ve lived a little can pull off.

The accompanying video, shot in the brutal concrete theatre of the Death Bowl at Pizzey Park, is pure HAMMERS energy. Skate and surf chaos, mates behind the lens, sweat and momentum doing the talking. It’s not polished. It’s not precious. It’s a document of flow state and consequence, where commitment matters more than control. Drop in, hope for the best, deal with the rest later.

Death Wobbles is a sum-of-its-parts record, shaped by the chemistry between vocalist Leigh ‘Fish’ Dowling, bassist Ricky T, guitarist/backing vocalist Dario Lagana and drummer Ryan ‘Ruckus’ Lucas. The album finds the band working alongside producer Forrester Savell, with engineering handled by Michael Campbell (She Cries Wolf, Vengeance, Deficit) and Luke Palmer (Dead Letter Circus, Boo Seeka, Jacob Lee). Sonically, it puts a distinctive, confident spin on influences that stretch from Every Time I Die and He Is Legend to Better Lovers, Stray From The Path and Alexisonfire.

At the centre of it all, however, is Lucas Stone. A frontman who speaks with the same mix of dry, dark humour, honesty and depth that runs through the band’s music. We caught up with him to talk Death Wobbles, skating metaphors, creative unease, working with long-time collaborator Forrester Savell, self-releasing through Summerland Records, and why laughter is sometimes the only thing standing between you and the void.

On ‘Death Wobbles’ (the song + the video)

Whatta song!!! So huge! ‘Death Wobbles’ is a title that feels both funny and unsettling. Where did it come from, and at what point did you realise it was the name?

The majority of us grew up skating/surfing. For me personally, in my home city of the Illawarra/Wollongong, our crew spent days at a time, out of our minds at our local skate parks, breaking back into local school's after hours to hit stairs and rails or bombing the gnarliest hills our escarpment-meets-ocean landscape offered us. If you've ever bombed a hill you probably shouldn't, on a skatey, you know what the 'Death Wobbles' are. It was just a spark, mid process. The song, and album feel like that and the song's lyrics are specifically written around the term.

The song lurches, sways, and never quite settles. Was that physical unease something you consciously chased in the writing, or did it emerge naturally?

All of my music is uneasy. My solo gear, HELM, Tension etc,... The fact that HAMMERS' members as a group personality, individually and musically, is so diverse and weird only adds to that. My music never really gives the listener what they want until they've invested in the process and I guess, 'worked through some shit', haha. I don't do it intentionally, it's just that I love that kind of music and always have so I guess that's what comes out. 

The video feels like it’s flirting with collapse without ever fully tipping over. What was the core idea going in, and how much was left open to instinct on the day?

The video itself was James Latter's interpretation of my basic explanation of the song's meaning and what we as a band wanted visually, loosely, as well as his take after repeatedly digesting the track. When we landed on set, the result is basically the collision of all that, coupled with the spontaneity of the day. Kiel Tillman's art images also add some great textures - again, his interpretation of Rick relaying his perception to him.

Did the visual side of ‘Death Wobbles’ change how you hear the song now, or does it feel like it simply revealed something that was already there?

Oh look, good visuals are always gonna enhance an audio and vice-versa - definitely the main pro to a good video clip. The con to the video, generally, is when you listen to a song after you've already 'seen' it, your brain tends to return there forever or elaborate further on what seed was already planted. Songs with no video attack your imagination and take on a life of it's own.But yeah, hopefully it revealed or highlighted more, within the song.

There’s a sense of humour running through the dread. How important is that balance for HAMMERS, especially when dealing with heavier themes?

That's the whole of HAMMERS really. My mind lives in the dark, so I spend all my days searching for light and laughter, wherever I can. To different degrees, every member in this band bears a pretty heavy shadow but our life experience has given us the tools to protect others from it. And, as a result, we're all addicted to all forms of comedy.Our ability to laugh at everything - especially the things you shouldn't - IS our balance.

Working with Forrester Savell

Forrester Savell has a reputation for pulling something raw and human out of bands. What did he unlock in HAMMERS that maybe surprised you?

Ha! Forrester is one of my dearest friends of 20+ years and has worked on almost all of my music since we met. I don't really know how to answer this question haha. He's a sexy alien.

How early was Forrester involved in shaping ‘Death Wobbles’? Was he more architect, editor, or quiet instigator?

Well, we talk all the time so he's kinda always involved in whatever I'm doing musically but we're usually doing or talking about something else during. He was recruited for mix and mastering. Basically, I do my thing, band does its thing, Foz does his thing, I do my thing back, Foz does his thing back or sumn sumn. 

Were there any moments in the studio where a song took a sharp left turn because of something he suggested?

Not really but I love just giving my shit to Foz and seeing how he perceives it. Our minds tend to view things on a fairly parallel level so it's always more of a kinda 'I got you' vibe, while we talk shit about other shit. Our two tracking engineers Michael Campbell and Luke Palmer both had a decent presence on production-based input throughout the process though. Genius boys. We have the best team.

What did you learn from working with him that you’ll carry into future recordings, even without him in the room?

Again, hard to answer because we been at it for so long. Basically, he's smarter than everyone you know. I mean the dude, just quietly, went and did a Doctorate at 40-odd, just 'cos. He won't brag so I'm bragging for him.He loves to cook mad BBQ. And he used to be a skinny nerd and now he has muscles and a weird beard. I hope he carries one of his mad feeds into our next recording.

The debut album (out Jan 23)

January 23 isn’t far away. Sitting here now, how does it feel knowing the debut album is basically… done?

Oh it's done. I'm ecstatic, relieved and exhausted while I stew on the next one to come.

Does ‘Death Wobbles’ feel representative of the album as a whole, or is it deliberately throwing people in at the deep end?

We feel it's representative. I guess it's up to all y'all to decide.

Was there a clear emotional or sonic through-line you wanted the album to follow, or did it reveal its own shape over time?

Not consciously, no. I'm just doing what I do and it goes through the band filter and we do what we do. There's many emotional and sonic through-line's that exist within and as a part of what we are but rarely identified until after the result appears. There are parts for me as a writer but that's my secret sauce 

What song on the album still catches you off guard when you hear it back?

Both 'Annihilation' and 'Salad Fingers'.

Summerland Records & doing it yourselves

You’re releasing the album on your own label, Summerland Records. What pushed you toward that decision?

We're the only label that will sign us.

How much freedom does self-releasing actually give you, and where does it introduce new pressures you maybe didn’t expect?

Well, it's all up to us really so the freedom is - we do what we want with it and what we make is ours. The pressure is, we do what we want with it and what we make is ours. Basically, ya gotta work either way.

Does running your own label change how you think about longevity and pace, rather than just the next release?

Hmmm... not really? If it ain't natural, it ain't real so we kinda kick it on full time auto-pilot.

Big picture HAMMERS stuff

HAMMERS feel like a band comfortable sitting in discomfort. Has that always been the instinct, or did you have to learn to trust it?

Nothing good ever came from comfort except sleep and no great man ever didn't get bullied by life so yeah, instinct for us.

What excites you most right now: the songs themselves, the live translation, or the strange conversations they seem to provoke?

I'd say all of the above. Although the live translation is where the most rewarding work is. We don't run click or tracks live and pride oursleves on delivering what you hear on the recording. We do it all. So we gotta make sure we dig deep to deliver for the fans.

If someone comes to the band fresh via ‘Death Wobbles’, what do you hope sticks with them after the first listen?

I guess, the identification, acceptance and love that we don't fit anywhere while simultaneously fitting everywhere. We don't cut cookies. It's music for the unique, the challenged, those chasing hard earned substance and for those who probably laugh their arses off when they should be in tears. We're gonna make you feel weird things. But we hope you stay long enough for our fangs to sink in.

Finally, once the album is out in the world, what’s the first thing you’re most looking forward to letting go of?

Music industry induced Debt.

HAMMERS' DEBUT ALBUM DEATH WOBBLES OUT JAN 23

ON SUMMERLAND RECORDS

TOURING MARCH/APRIL — TICKETS HERE

LISTEN TO AND FOLLOW HAMMERS ONLINE