Dinosaur Pile-Up are a band. ‘No shit’, you say, but to frontman Matt Bigland, they haven’t always felt like one. In fact, DPU as you know it has been eight years, two albums and countless tours in the making. Now though, completed by drummer Mike Sheils and bassist Jim Cratchley, they’ve reached their final form – recording an album as a full band for the first time ever. An album that sees them go harder, faster and terrifyingly heavier than ever before. To give you an idea of Dinosaur Pile-Up’s definition of ‘hard and fast’ just glance at what they achieved on the live circuit last year alone. The States three times, Japan twice, Europe, India and their native UK. That’s a hell of an itinerary for a live show as notoriously savage as theirs. And now it’s time to add the heavy. Wielding their third album, ELEVEN ELEVEN, Dinosaur Pile-Up are reborn – ravenous for bigger crowds, broader stages and the fresh blood of fans’ ears. Sculpted by the expert hands of producer Tom Dalgety (Royal Blood) the crushing, jagged riffs of this third monster are the meat on the Dinosaur’s bones. If their career was a B-movie, then they just hit the scene where everyone starts running scared. Cities from here to the States are about to take a proper kicking. Parking the monster metaphors for a moment, though – it’s striking that ELEVEN ELEVEN is the first album to be recorded by more members than just Matt. From day one the band has been Matt’s vision, leading him to fill the roles of songwriter, guitarist, singer, bassist and drummer singlehandedly. But now, in this new era of Dinosaur Pile-Up, he’s handed drum duty over to Mike (a member since 2010) and bass over to Jim (who joined in 2014), allowing Matt to focus on crafting bigger, more brutish hooks than their previous two outings. In case you were sleeping, debut album Growing Pains (2010) rudely introduced a vivid and chaotic band, built on a turbo-charged bedrock of Foo Fighters, Weezer and Nirvana. Second outing Nature Nurture (2013) saw the band’s sound develop a near-split personality, with calmer surf-rock riffs lulling listeners into a safe place before revving their menacing motor back up and ramming audiences straight back into the pit. Now though, with their third album heralding darker, more intense vibes – as well as invoking comparisons to Deftones, Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana – there’ll be no more sleeping for you. That’s a threat and a promise. Dinosaur Pile-Up are a band – and they’re about to go harder, faster and terrifyingly heavier than ever before.