Last Dinosaurs

Australian quartet Last Dinosaurs craft sharp, polished dance-rock that echoes the rhythmic 2000s indie sound of Phoenix, the Kooks, and Two Door Cinema Club. Sean Caskey and Dan Koyama launched the project in 2007 during their high-school years, later adding Caskey’s brother Lachlan on guitar alongside bassist Sam Gethin-Jones. The group’s first EP, Back from the Dead, appeared in 2010. Their breakthrough arrived with the 2012 full-length In a Million Years on Dew Process Records, helmed by producer Jean-Paul Fung (Silverchair, Jet) and entering the Australian albums chart’s Top Ten. Touring in support carried the band across Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia, with the latter region receiving special attention due to the Japanese heritage shared by the Caskeys and Koyama. Gethin-Jones exited in summer 2013; Michael Sloane took over bass duties in early 2014. The revised lineup unveiled its second album, Wellness, the following year. Scott Horscroft (Silverchair, the Presets, Empire of the Sun) produced the set, which layered ethereal textures over the band’s established energetic approach and reached the ARIA charts’ Top 20.