Hamilton, Ontario’s The Dirty Nil continue peeling back their layers with “Spider Dream,” the latest single from their upcoming fifth studio album, The Lash, arriving July 25th via Dine Alone Records. Following the chaos of their explosive lead single, “Gallop of the Hounds,” this new track reveals a gentler – but no less potent – side of the band.
“Spider Dream” finds The Dirty Nil turning down the distortion and tapping into something more tender. “I think that we have some of our more raging tunes on this record, but also some of our more, dare I say, delicate moments that we’ve ever committed to tape on this thing,” says vocalist/guitarist Luke Bentham. “It feels like the truest Nil record.”
The song came from an unexpected place – waking from a nightmare. “I woke up one morning, completely refreshed by a nightmare,” Bentham explains. “It was a strange feeling but enough to animate a song. I had also just watched The Beatles documentary that the Lord of the Rings fella made, so I was inspired to use more jangly chords than I usually do.” While it was a departure for the group, the arrangement came together instantly and never changed from its original form.
The Lash Tracklisting:
- Gallop of the Hounds
- Fail in Time
- That Don’t Mean It Won’t Sting
- Rock N’ Roll Band
- This Is Me Warning Ya
- Do You Want Me?
- Spider Dream
- They Won’t Beat Us
- Hero Narrative
- I Was A Henchman
Everything about The Lash evokes a certain sort of brutality.
During a trip to the Vatican, Bentham found inspiration in some of its forgotten art: I was in a very dusty part of the basement, and they had these crazy bronze reliefs that were some of the most brutal things I’ve ever seen. There was a particular one called The Horrors of War. It was two guys fighting over a knife. That image ended up guiding a lot of this record.
From there, the band brought in UK designer Jack Sabbat for his acerbic, bootleg punk-flyer style, assuring The Lash would look right at home in a beat-up bin of old Crass records or in a Medieval torture dungeon.
Thematically, the album’s 10 tracks trade Bentham‘s usual happy-go-lucky romanticism for a cathartic vent session about everything from music industry bullsh*t to the dissolution of a relationship. Drummer and co-conspirator Kyle Fisher jokes: I’ve been telling people that this is Luke‘s therapy record.
Since forming in 2006, The Dirty Nil have always embraced the flashier side of punk. But with The Lash, they strip it all down to the essentials—just two friends in a room, playing like everything is on the line.
For fans of The Jesus Lizard, The Bronx, and Metz, The Lash is a high-stakes rock record from a band that has spent over a decade tearing up stages, building a worldwide following, and even winning a JUNO Award for Breakthrough Band in 2017. They’ve played the game and jumped through the hoops – now, The Dirty Nil are doing things entirely on their own terms.
The Dirty Nil will be on tour with Heart Attack Man, Carpool, and Dear Seattle this summer. All tickets are on sale HERE.
June 4, 2025 – Thunderbird Cafe & Music Hall, Pittsburgh, PA
June 5, 2025 – Rec Room, Buffalo, NY
June 8, 2025 – Empire Underground, Albany, NY
June 10, 2025 – Brighton Music Hall, Boston, MA
June 11, 2025 – Amityville Music Hall, Long Island, NY
June 13, 2025 – Brooklyn Meadows, Brooklyn, NY
June 14, 2025 – The Foundry @ The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA
June 16, 2025 – Archer Music Hall, Allentown, PA
June 17, 2025 – The Canal Club, Richmond, VA
June 19, 2025 – Motorco Music Hall, Durham, NC
June 20, 2025 – The Radio Room, Greenville, SC
June 21, 2025 – The Social, Orlando, FL
June 22, 2025 – Gramps, Miami, FL
June 24, 2025 – The Loft, Atlanta, GA
June 25, 2025 – Eastside Bowl, Nashville, TN
June 27, 2025 – Delmar Hall, St. Louis, MO
June 28, 2025 – Hi-Fi, Indianapolis, IN
June 29, 2025 – Manchester Music Hall, Lexington, KY
July 8, 2025 – The Shelter, Detroit, MI
July 9, 2025 – Vivarium, Milwaukee, WI
July 10, 2025 – Bottom Lounge, Chicago, IL
July 11, 2025 – Because Craft Beer Festival – Hamilton, ON (The Dirty Nil only)
July 12, 2025 – Aby’s Rapid City, Rapid City, SD
July 13, 2025 – Wooly’s, Des Moines, IA
July 16, 2025 – The Waiting Room, Omaha, NE
July 18, 2025 – The Bottleneck, Lawrence, KS
July 20, 2025 – The Black Sheep, Colorado Springs, CO
July 21, 2025 – Marquis Theater, Denver, CO
July 23, 2025 – Soundwell, Salt Lake City, UT
July 24, 2025 – Shrine Social Club, Boise, ID
July 25, 2025 – The Crocodile, Seattle, WA
July 26, 2025 – Rickshaw Theater, Vancouver, Canada
July 27, 2025 – Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, OR
July 29, 2025 – Goldfield Trading Post, Sacramento, CA
July 30, 2025 – Cornerstone Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
July 31, 2025 – Strummer’s, Fresno, CA
August 1, 2025 – Lodge Room Highland Park, Los Angeles, CA
August 2, 2025 – The Nile Theater, Mesa, AZ
August 4, 2025 – Lowbrow Palace, El Paso, TX
August 5, 2025 – RBC, Dallas, TX
August 6, 2025 – Paper Tiger, San Antonio, TX
August 8, 2025 – Come and Take It Live, Austin, TX
August 9, 2025 – Beer City Music Hall, Oklahoma City, OK
ONTARIO TOUR DATES:
September 11 – Barrie, ON – Rec Room
September 12 – London, ON – London Music Hall
September 13 – St. Catharines, ON – Warehouse
September 14 – St. Catharines, ON – Warehouse
September 16 – Oshawa, ON – Biltmore Theatre
September 18 – Peterborough, ON – The Venue
September 19 – Kingston, ON – Broom Factory
September 20 – Ottawa, ON – Bronson Centre
September 21 – Montreal, QC – Café Campus
September 23 – Vandorf, ON – Harmony Hall (*)
September 25 – Burnstown, ON – Neat Café (*)
September 26 – Galt, ON – Farm League Brewing (*)
September 27 – Windsor, ON – Meteor (*)
September 28 – Windsor, ON – Meteor (*)
(*) NO Heart Attack Man on these dates.
With Spanish Love Songs
October 9, 2025 – Szene – Vienna, AT
October 10, 2025 – Club Cann – Stuttgart, DE
October 11, 2025 – Statbahnhoff, Schweinfurt, DE
October 12, 2025 – Legend 54 – Milan, IT
October 14, 2025 – Dynamo – Zurich, CH
October 15, 2025 – Schlachthof – Wiesbaden, DE
October 16, 2025 – Knust – Hamburg, DE
October 18, 2025 – Common Thread Tour – Oberhausen, DE
October 19, 2025 – Common Thread Tour – Brussels, BE
October 20, 2025 – Common Thread Tour – Haarlem, NL
October 25, 2025 – Common Thread Tour – London, UK
October 26, 2025 – Common Thread Tour – Leeds, UK
