SPILL NEW MUSIC: THE DIRTY NIL – “SPIDER DREAM”

THE DIRTY NIL – “SPIDER DREAM”

DINE ALONE RECORDS

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. While it was a departure for the group, the arrangement came together instantly and never changed from its original form.

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.

ARTIST QUOTE

“I woke up one morning, completely refreshed by a nightmare. 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.”

The Dirty Nil
The Leash
(Dine Alone Records)
Release Date: July 25, 2025

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.

Artist Links