When Luke Bentham of The Dirty Nil thinks about lyrics that might sum up his mindset while writing the album, "Fuck Art," he thinks back to the song "One More and the Bill." There is a lyric in the song that reads:
"Gonna smash my TV, and smash my phone. Leave politics alone. Go outside for a while."
That lyric is where his mind instantly wanders. It's because our society often gets so caught up in technology that we forget to appreciate some of the little things that are happening around us. Our phones and social media can take control of our lives. Basically Luke came to appreciate his life more since Covid happened. After being on a consistent grind for several years as the band began to grow more-and-more, and get places on even bigger shows, Luke finally had the opportunity to write songs without a true deadline. He also had the opportunity to play the guitar more and paint, a hobby that he is extremely passionate about.
"Fuck Art" came out on New Years Day of 2021. It received just as much recognition as "Master Volume" did, if not more. The name of the record comes from a community painting class that Luke attended with his mother and sister. An older gentleman was struggling with a painting and asked for assistance. The teacher told him to circle back once he was close to finishing. That is when the gentleman said "fuck art" in front of the whole class.
The album pulls from various different forms of music. Some of the genres that can appear on it ranges from jazz, to thrash, to pop, to heavy metal. Luke listens to it all. It helps him put together songs that he says are different from what the listeners have ever listened to. "Fuck Art" also has a fun story about the cover. It's a fictional dog by Max Loffler. The concept of the album art started with dark sketches but eventually led to Loffler calling Luke in the middle of the night saying it should be a smiling golden retriever with a blue sky.
This episode is loaded with cool stories. You can find a discussion about playing halftime for the Hamilton Tiger Cats. There is also a story about playing the AC/DC song "Riff Raff" at a skate park. Lastly, you can hear how Luke was introduced to the podcast Hardcore History by Mike Kennedy of The Wonder Years. Check out the band below!
Website: https://thedirtynil.com
Bandcamp: https://thedirtynil.bandcamp.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2mGENPk4M4jtaf5D7fDi98?si=Z5p2hqhTRPu8AJY9_5scyQ
Apple: https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/the-dirty-nil/910995513
Instagram/Twitter: @thedirtynil
