Following their 2018 self-titled debut EP, Rockaway Beach surf-rock band, Skells understand what it takes to create a strong collection of songs, so it comes as no surprise that their new release, Dinosaur Village sounds as fine-tuned as it does. Dinosaur Village is a shimmering nod to the classic surf rock of The Shadows or Dick Dale – meticulously composed in a fashion that walks the line between nostalgia and modern indie rock to produce the perfect soundtrack to your backyard BBQs and surf sessions this summer. While the band’s debut release found them experimenting with their sound and finding their place in the scene, Dinosaur Village is Skells truly coming into their own. It’s the band at their best.
With Dinosaur Village out now, we caught up with Skells to talk about the EP and their plans for the rest of the summer. And with more new music coming soon, it’s safe to say that this won’t be the last time you hear from Skells this year!
Can you tell us a little bit about Skells for anyone who might not be familiar?
We are a group of close childhood friends who all grew up together and love to play music together.
How do you feel your local music scene in Queens has affected the music that you guys are writing today?
We grew up between the beach and the city and would like to think our music also resides somewhere between those two worlds. Surfing and the ocean has always been our creative overseer but the city influence is at times just as undeniable for us. Specifically, our town Rockaway beach has always had the same identity crisis; that of being not totally a beach town, but also not a metropolis. Maybe we are the personification of that confusion?
You guys just celebrated the release of your new EP, Dinosaur Village! When you first started working on your new EP, did you have any major goals in mind?
Our one and only major music goal is to land a song in a Quniten Tarantino movie.
How do you feel you’ve grown or evolved between Dinosaur Village and your self-titled EP?
Dinosaur Village had a focus going into the EP. We were concentrated on writing tracks that represented the 1960’s era surf rock. Our self-titled ep was more exploratory and unruly.
What was the most rewarding or exciting part of working on the EP?
The most rewarding part of working on this EP was that everything was done in house by the band. We wrote, recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered every song by ourselves. Jake, our drummer, did all the post work and it was rewarding to have his back through it. Also, we released the EP with Beach Channel Records which was exciting to us. It feels great to expand the skells family some.
With Dinosaur Village out now, do you guys have any shows coming up? Any tour dates in the works?
Our next show is at Hart Bar in brooklyn with Psycho Pat. Then we have shows on July 4th, 5th, and 6th. No tours planned yet though.
Do you have any other big plans for the summer?
We have jumped right back into recording and plan to have a full length album of 12 songs done in september. We also plan to go to a water park, just the four of us.
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