"If We Can Do It, Then There Is No Reason Why You Can't": DUDESMELL On Monthly Releases, Trump, And Having Fun

Get down from there! [photo: Dudesmell]

DUDESMELL have one clear goal in mind: spread important messages whilst having a lot of fun playing music. Latest track "Hyenas in the Prideland" is very much a politically charged slice of energetic punk, making it clear where they stand as far as the world is concerned. The track succeeds January release "Gold Tooth", and sees the band gearing up to release an album at the end of the year.

I had the pleasure of talking to the band about their 2025 releases so far, their inspirations, and what we can expect by the year's end.

R: Hi guys! Thanks for being up for this. First of all, to anyone that doesn't know Dudesmell, how would you describe your sound?

D: We get a lot of different suggestions thrown at us for who or what we sound like. We like to mix classic punk and grunge together with a massive shot of energy. Our songs are upbeat with an element of pop but we add in a huge slice of consciousness with our lyrics and our message.

"We are just enjoying the moment, and we hope that others will see that and see that they could do the same"

Who would you say are your biggest influences?

Again, it’s a wide range for us. We have been likened to Pissed Jeans, The Jesus Lizard, Blacklisters, and even Nirvana. We just try to make music that we like but as with all bands we can be a slave to the music we love, and that clearly comes out in our songs. We aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel with the music we make so we wear our influences on our sleeve and we are proud of that. 

You've recently released your new track HYENAS IN THE PRIDELAND. Can you tell me a little about the track? What's it about?

This song is about the rise of the far right both across the US and Europe. How people are stupid enough to believe the nonsense banded about not just by politicians but idiots all over social media as well. People hate because they have been told to and they follow like a herd to whoever shouts the loudest. It’s classic right wing [behaviour] to seek out the vulnerable and weak section of society and give them a simple purpose to believe in.

The opening lines to the song is “Panic attack, return of the rat, life is a trap, no going back”. This is directed purely at [Trump]. The pure stupidity of Americans is astonishing and they will now get everything they deserve for putting him back in power. 

"We have shows booked as far ahead as October and November so we expect 2025 to be very busy"

This follows your last release [Gold Tooth]. Can we expect more music from Dudesmell this year?

Yes, you can. We are releasing a single every month this year with an album to drop on the last Friday in December. Our [next release] will be “The Mirror” and we hope it’s a song that will surprise a lot of people. Along with the single releases, we will be playing as many live shows as we can across the country this year. We already have shows booked as far ahead as October and November so we expect 2025 to be very busy for us. 

Bit cramped in 'ere! [photo: Dudesmell]

And lastly, what's one thing you want people to take away from your music? 

That this is a fun thing to do. Music should be celebrated and enjoyed. We are three middle aged men that make music that we grew up on and loved. We work hard to make songs that we love and that we hope others will also love. We aren’t doing anything special - we are just enjoying the moment and we hope that others will see that and see that they could do the same.

If we can inspire people to start their own band and create their own music, then that’s a pretty amazing thing to have done. If we can do it, then there is no reason why you can’t. 

"Hyenas in the Prideland" is out NOW on streaming services