RECORD labels are dying out and DIY is taking over and Melbourne punk band The Duvtons are just one of thousands of bands taking their destiny into their own hands.
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The Duvtons, which features former Camperdown musician Ricky Birmingham, independently released their debut album Greatest Hits last year to a large crowd at the Arthouse in Melbourne.
They're taken a different approach with their next batch of releases, circumventing the labels and the record stores to release six digital singles over the next six months.
After recording the tracks at Sing Sing Studios in Melbourne with Matt Voigt - who's worked with the likes of Powderfinger, Paul Kelly, Cockfight Shootout and Oh Mercy - the five-piece shelled out to get a top-notch masterer to put that American sheen in the finished product.
"Our singer Marvel has always dreamed of getting music mastered by Tom Baker, who's worked with Bad Religion, Parkway Drive and Michael Jackson," Birmingham explained.
"We definitely paid (a lot) for it, but it was definitely worth it. I didn't realise how big of a difference mastering could make, but you could tell the difference when we listened to the mastered versions."
The first of the six singles Aliens Done Took Mah Sanity was released for download on iTunes last week and launched at a gig at the Birmingham Hotel.
The Duvtons are planning to undertake and east coast tour sometime next year and hope to return to Warrnambool as well.
The punk act has been getting some love from Triple J lately, particularly the show Short Fast Loud, which has been playing their songs.
"That's a highlight, it's amazing," Birmingham said of getting airplay on the national youth broadcaster.
"We're finally starting to get somewhere."
Another highlight for The Duvtons was their second tour with Guttermouth, an American punk band that has been an influence on the Melbourne group.
Despite things taking off for The Duvtons, Birmingham still has time for his old south-west band Feebal Squint.
"We did a gig about four or five weeks ago at the Bendigo Hotel," the drummer explained.
"It's a side project. We're still doing random shows now and then."