After releasing their debut album earlier this year, Tokyo’s hottest new band DYGL are making their way over for their first UK shows next week. ‘Say Goodbye To Memory Den’, is a riotous trip through indie, rock’n’roll and punk – all with a cheeky wink to some of the ’00s finest bands. It’s no surprise then that Albert Hammond Jr, guitarist in The Strokes, produced the startling record alongside Strokes producer Gus Oberg. We got on the phone with Albert to get the lowdown on the fruitful collaboration.

How did you get involved with the band?


“A friend of someone I work with, who’s in Japan, he brought up the idea and sent me the rough demos and I just thought they were a great songs. and the timing worked out so perfectly with them.”

What kind of impact did you have on the band?

“Sonically, a lot. We went in and tweaked everything. We were lucky they were very hard working – we had to play everything live as there was no other way. It was like little things, like a making a puzzle, almost. So we recorded and mixed 14 songs in 9 days. That doesn’t happen so much anymore.”

How would you describe the band to new fans?

“I would say Sean Connery-era James Bond. When we mixed the record, we re-watched all of the James Bond films and now when I hear the songs I feel that era come through. I’d say it’s like sitting in a bar and listening to a lost tape of a band you didn’t hear from the ’80s like, ‘how did I not hear of this?'”

What kind of producer are you?


“I don’t know – I wouldn’t call myself a tough person. But I like to be a mixture of tough and laid-back, I don’t think its one thing – that’s what makes Gus and I’s partnership so great – we allow ourselves space to put work to our strengths. It’s a time well remembered – I had a wonderful time doing and was probably one of the best times in the studio.”

DYGL will play

Birthdays, London (Nov 28)

Hope & Ruin, Brighton (Nov 29)