Dappled Cities

Australian quintet Dappled Cities fuses the exuberant theatricality of the Flaming Lips and Grandaddy with the cooler sonic experiments of Sigur Rós, creating textures that occasionally echo the blend of concise pop craftsmanship and elaborate progressive flourishes perfected by Genesis and ex-frontman Peter Gabriel near the dawn of the 1980s. The ensemble originated in Sydney’s outer suburbs, where four school friends—Tim Derricourt on guitar and vocals, Dave Rennick on keyboards, guitar, and vocals, Alex Moore on bass, and Hugh Boyce on drums—first assembled as the teen quartet Periwinkle and performed at local all-ages events and campus functions. In 2001, once every member reached legal drinking age, the group relocated to Sydney’s demanding club scene and adopted the deliberately whimsical and self-important moniker Dappled Cities Fly.

After multiple seasons of area and interstate concerts plus scattered singles and EPs, the outfit issued its first full-length, A Smile, during autumn 2004. Subsequent adjustments followed: longtime auxiliary keyboardist Ned Cooke became an official member, the band inked a deal with Australian imprint Speak n Spell Records, and the musicians streamlined their name to the milder Dappled Cities. Their initial outing under the revised identity, Granddance, surfaced across Australia in November 2006; Speak n Spell simultaneously re-released A Smile. Dangerbird Records then brought Granddance to American listeners in March 2007. The expansive Zounds appeared in 2009 on the same U.S. label, while Lake Air, the group’s fourth studio album, emerged in 2012. The fittingly titled ||||| (Five) arrived in 2017.