Packing quite a punch with their 'wall of sound', Brisbane band DZ Deathrays released this popular track in 2016. I will be deconstructing it with the aim of understanding the techniques and tricks that go into producing a studio quality rock song; and the hope of seeing how it stacks up against the greats...
Blood On My Leather is an energetic indie rock song with a punk aesthetic. It features heavily distorted drums, layers of guitars, and a shouting vocal, culminating in something reminiscent of Sabotage by Beastie Boys. The track was recorded during the creation of their third studio album Bloody Lovely, but they instead decided to release it as a non-album single in 2016; just under a decade after the group first formed (DZ Deathrays, 2020).
Initially comprised of just Shane Parsons (vocals/ guitar) and Simon Ridley (drums), the duo have grown from an amateur local Brisbane band, to an internationally recognised success (DZ Deathrays, 2020). The band now also includes session guitarist Lachlan Ewbank who fills a lead guitar and backing vocals role; though he was not involved in the recording of Blood On My Leather. A quick search on ASCAP (2020) suggests that the Shane and Simon wrote the song together, and the publishing rights belong to publishing giant Mushroom Music.
The song was recorded by their friend Burke Reid, who has worked with a plethora of artists from Peter Garrett to Courtney Barnett. He acted as producer, engineer, and mix engineer for the song, working from his base at The Grove Studios in NSW (The Grove Studios, 2020). This studio is decked out with an SSL G series console, a beautiful selection of mics, and a bunch of outboard hardware - providing a studio environment of such a calibre it entices leading Australian artists like Silverchair and Ocean Alley.
Blood On My Leather could be accurately described as a 'wall of sound', leaving room for dynamics only when guitars drop out momentarily, just to be slapped in the face again as they return. The enormous drum sound for the song's opening is a quick indicator of how loud the upcoming parts will be. Following the intro, the song follows a reasonably standard structure, with a breakdown thrown in for good meaure: intro - verse - chorus - verse - chorus - bridge - breakdown - verse - chorus - outro.
Duration: 2:33
Tempo: 164
Key: D
Time Signature: 4/4
Intro
4 bars
The song's introduction contains only thrashing drums, in a tight-sounding live drum room. They have been heavily compressed, generating high levels of distortion artefacts, indicating to me that something like an EL-8 Distressor has been used. I lean towards feeling they have been over-compressed, though it is not lost on me that this fits their aesthetic perfectly. The snap of the snare drum allows it to cut through the mix extremely well, with nice transients and a lot of clarity. The kick sounds particularly huge, and quite airy, which leads me to believe that this effect has actually been achieved by pushing the room mics quite hard into the compressor.
Verse
16 bars
The first verse introduces vocals and an electric guitar panned just right of centre, allowing ample room for Shane's voice. The guitar is obviously run through a series of pedals, using a lot of drive to provide high levels of distortion, and compressed for consistent level. The lead vocal is single-tracked and sits front and centre in the mix, with a high level of intelligibility. It is highly consistent and sounds well-produced, suggesting a lot of time was invested in cleaning up the recording, taming the sibilance, and applying appropriate gain-staging or compression. An EQ has also been used, which I particularly noticed to be rolling off a lot of the lower frequencies in his voice, enabling his voice to not get lost in amongst the guitars which now have more room to fill. The verse also sees the inclusion of some backing phrases seemingly phase-shifted and panned hard to either side.
Chorus
8 bars
This quick glimpse of the powerful chorus is achieved by bringing in the remaining guitars to create a wall of sound effect. The inclusion of all the tracks for this section makes it much louder, creating a dynamic juxtaposition against the (slightly) sparse room with just drums and one guitar. The guitars have either been tracked multiple times and panned wide, or perhaps once again phase shifted to create a wide stereo image and then layered for effect. The second bar features backing vocals, but included at very low level, almost to the point where I questioned if it was meant to be there. There is a very subtle audible reverb on the vocals, which sounds like it could in fact be natural reverb from the recording room, rather than artificially included.
Verse
8 bars
Quickly the song returns to another verse, similar in construction - though this time quicker than the first. The only other difference is a quick guitar embellishment.
Chorus
16 bars
Similarly, the song then returns to a chorus - double length this time, seemingly swapping with the shorter verse. This chorus features more tom fills, which I noticed sat very narrow in the stereo imaging. I also noticed they were included at a relatively quieter level, not drawing too much attention. They are heavily compressed and appear short in length, though perhaps their sustain is quickly swallowed by the guitars.
Bridge
8 bars
This section features the original drum and guitar combo, though with the guitar slowly playing up the register of notes creating a crescendo effect. It also contains a guitar feedback/scraping-the-pick-along-the-string effect, slowly increasing in level and automated to bounce from left to right, further contributing to the crescendo.
Pause
1 bar
A high note from the lead guitar rings here for a moment of suspension, as the guitar effect falls back down from its peak at the end of the bridge.
Breakdown
8 bars
Here the guitar effect is quickly panned back to its original location on the listener's right, as all the instruments are introduced once again. Following the "pause" section, this breakdown plays once again with those slap-you-in-the-face dynamics for great effect. Shane is screaming up front, with another scream sitting in behind him, and a higher-pitched one panned to the left slightly sounding quite roomy (almost as if it is just the room included).
Verse
8 bars
A slightly different take on the verse this time, the reverberation from the breakdown rings out and Simon takes a break from drumming, as the lead vocals are reintroduced with the lead guitar once again. The end of this verse contains another scream, which is delayed to both left and right channels creating a useful delocalisation effect that consumes the listener.
Chorus
16 bars
The final chorus is played through similar to previously, packing one last punch before the end.
Outro
8 bars
The outro returns the song to its beginning, with a lead guitar and roomy drum sound. Included for added effect is some plucked guitar notes, played on the beginning of each bar and positioned across the stereo field, sent to a decent amount of echo and reverb. Finally, the song abruptly concludes on the first note of a ninth bar as the guitar is muted, leaving the room noise to ring out from drums and guitar amp.
Overall I believe the song is highly effective in achieving a pumping, head-banging record that would relate to the masses. It presents itself to me as a simple song, in theory, refraining from using any mind-blowing productions tricks or other highly technical elements. Personally, if I was mixing the song, I would change the way the kick sounds - it's too unnatural for my liking. I would also like to bring out the backing vocals a little more to make them more involved and consistent throughout the song. Finally, I would like to bring out the drums a little more, or perhaps more accurately, sink the guitars back a little so I could really snap my neck as I listen to kick-snare cracks.
Ultimately it sounds like a loud song fit for radio in a modern context; playing on the wall of sound that seems to be revered by this era. However, compared to the great records that exist, it lacks the dynamics that I find so appealing about them. I prefer much more transparent mixing / mastering, which would involve less compression or limiting. I also feel that the song lacks the "clarity" of a crisp record: what I mean by that is the distinction between different components, and the feeling that the song can breathe (even if it is just a fraction so that it still fits in amongst its genre and competes with modern standards). This could be achieved in numerous ways, the most obvious being EQ for separation, or even a remaster to bring out those elements a little more.
Stay Tuned
- TA
REFERENCES
ASCAP. (2020). ASCAP. Retrieved from https://www.ascap.com/
DZ Deathrays. (2020). DZ Deathrays. Retrieved from http://dzdeathrays.com/new/aus.php
Mushroom Group. (2020). Mushroom Music Publishing. Retrieved from https://mushroommusic.com/
The Grove Studios. (2020). The Grove Studios. Retrieved from https://www.thegrovestudios.com/
YouTube. (2016). DZ Deathrays - Blood On My Leather. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6jLfL_g4w0
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