Perth band Dice on recording their new album at Hollywood’s EastWest Studios and their national tour

Perth band Dice recorded their second album in Hollywood’s legendary EastWest Studios, where the likes of music royalty Red Hot Chili Peppers and Michael Buble have also worked their magic.

Getting the opportunity to step inside such a prestigious studio made the quartet, comprising Ben Hodge, Tom King, Regan Beazley and Sam Barrett-Lennard, realise just how serious they are about their blossoming music career.

“There’s a vibe about that place; it kind of made us feel like we’re really taking this seriously,” Barrett-Lennard, aka Lenny, says.

“We actually had Michael Buble in the room next to us recording at the same time, so it felt like it was a whole different ballpark, and I think because of that, it helped us step up to the mark. It was like, all right, this is serious. It’s the same room as all of these incredible musicians. Chili Peppers recorded Californication in one of those rooms, so I was like, whoa, we gotta like, yeah, step up to the mark.”

King said that while it may have been daunting, the band felt at home in the famous studios.

“We didn’t really feel, like, out of place either. Like we finished that first day of recording, and it felt like everything we’d ever worked for over the last, like, five years had, like, led to that moment,” he says.

“We’ve worked hard to get here, and it was very rewarding for sure.”

Their new album I Thought The Altitude Would Make It Worth The View came out at the end of July and sees the band pivot away from the grit of their debut towards a more euphoric sound.

Working with producer Joe Chiccarelli helped Dice navigate a new era of indie-rock while staying true to their foundations. They also enlisted friends Jay Watson, who has worked with Tame Impala, and G Flip to work on songs.

King said the album had been a long time coming after the band struggled to define their sound following the release of their first album.

“The last album was a lot darker, and we were going through some more sort of gloomy, like personal stuff. This album’s sort of all about coming out the other side of all that,” he says.

“So, it’s been very liberating, and I think you can feel that and hear that in the music, whether it’s the instruments or whether it’s the lyrics.

“We struggled with defining our sound; there’s a lot of pressure of, like, everyone being, like, no, I want to sound like this. I want to sound like this. There’s still room for discovery in our sound, but we’re getting closer.”

Feeling the high of working in the US has Dice already wanting to return, and while they have been “talking about potential moves”, Perth will always be home.

All four members still work 9-to-5 jobs while juggling a music career they hope to make full-time one day, but the band say pursuing stardom isn’t always glamorous.

In fact, they say it is “tricky” living a dual life, and the public often doesn’t realise just how much of a grind it is to make a living from music.

“We work our day jobs so we can make music. We work so we can go on tour, and this is all our energy. This is everything that we care about, really,” Barrett-Lennard says.

“It’s a tricky kind of, like, dual life that you have to live, but if we didn’t, we wouldn’t be able to kind of do all these really crazy things like go on a three-month world tour,” Hodge adds.

Beazley says reality kicked in after hearing Amyl and The Sniffers singer Amy Taylor’s 2025 ARIA awards speech where she said taking home four gongs, including album of the year, meant she wouldn’t have to work at IGA any more.

“It was very eye-opening, especially for people who aren’t in the music industry. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows. You have to grind for a long time to get to that point. But, honestly, none of us would do anything else,” he explains.

Dice are back on the road, kicking off their national tour in Adelaide on August 8, before making their way around the country playing capital city and regional shows and finishing up in WA, including a date at the Astor Theatre on September 11.

“We’ve never headlined Astor Theatre, so we’re super excited for it,” Barrett-Lennard says.

Rocking out at the historic venue marks a milestone for the band, after playing in pubs and bars, and they are looking forward to utilising the entire room and taking their production to the next level.

“Astor Theatre is the kind of golden venue to reach before you hit those like RAC arenas,” Hodge says.

Joining Dice on tour are female-fronted Brisbane band Mid Drift and sibling duo Ray and Paul all the way from the San Francisco Bay Area.

Following their Australian tour, Dice will jet off to Europe and the UK and will wrap up 2026 with several shows around the US.

The quartet are no strangers to global stages, having previously performed in London, New York City, Toronto and Amsterdam, with Barrett-Lennard saying they are still coming to terms with having fans on the other side of the world.

“It’s hard to comprehend,” he says.

“It’s the most exciting thing being able to impact people from completely different countries with different cultures and languages and all that.

“I think there’s a certain vibe about Australian music culture where you kind of see that as a norm. So when you go somewhere else, like you go to the UK or you go to Europe, they have this whole different appreciation or, like, vibe when they go to shows.

“It’s just really cool and really eye-opening to see what the world has to offer, more than just little old Perth,” Beazley says.

I Thought The Altitude Would Make It Worth The View is out now. Dice play the Astor Theatre on September 11 and Dunsborough Tavern on September 12.