dune reaper is Hunter Murray (drums/vocals) and Nathanael Smith (guitar), a heavy rock duo from Burlington, Ontario. Blending stoner metal with shoegaze and alternative rock, they bring their sound to life through gritty, VHS-style visuals that capture their raw, rebellious energy. They aim to break free from conformity and traditional music standards, creating a sound that is imperfect, unfiltered, and loud.
With their debut single, “forever asleep,” out now, we took some time to hear from dune reaper. Read below to learn more about dune reaper, the story behind “forever asleep,” and what’s to come.
Hi! Let’s start with how did the name come about?
Nate: I’m going to be completely honest. I asked Hunter to get me a list of some stoner rock band names generated by ChatGPT.
Hunter: Nate is lying. It came to me when I was huffing spray paint, and I met the dune reaper. He was so smelly and quite rude. I have to keep reminding myself that he isn’t real and can’t hurt me…
What city are you both from, and where are you both based now?
Nate: The overpopulated and expensive city of Toronto. Still here, unfortunately.
Hunter: I found a decent spot under an on-ramp that’s got tons of little critters to keep you company and a bunch of garbage to snack on.
When and how did the duo form?
Nate: We started jamming in early 2024 because we met at a construction site. How fun. Haha.
Hunter: It formed in the haze of a cold winter day. Nate looked at me and said, ‘Wanna jam?’ I looked back at him and through my frozen jaw I replied, ‘Sure dude.’
How would you both describe your group’s sound to readers who may not be familiar with you all?
Nate: It’s rough around the edges, with imperfections that make it feel real and human, giving it a charm and authenticity that you can’t manufacture. I’m obviously biased though. Haha.
Hunter: Just listen to it, brother.
Who are some of your group’s main musical influences?
Nate: Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath is the reason why I picked up guitar, so I’ll go with that.
Hunter: I’m not gonna lie, brother. I only listen to the sounds of my haters. I love my haters.
What’s one of the proudest moments of your duo’s music career so far?
Nate: There’s not much to celebrate just yet, but definitely writing and bringing this first song to life.
Hunter: There was this one time that we played something so heavy and groovy, but we didn’t record it, so no one will ever get to experience it again. It was one of the moments of all time.
What would you both say are the greatest lessons that you’ve all learned so far?
Nate: Remain humble. We have many years to work on our vision and shouldn’t be discouraged by a slower start.
Hunter: I don’t know, I’m not one to learn. I already know everything that I need to. No room for more info.
Now onto your release, ‘forever asleep .’ What inspired this song?
Nate: Feeling unfulfilled and stressed out by our day jobs. I think that we both reached a breaking point and decided to make a song out of it.
Hunter: Wanting to sleep forever.
What is ‘forever asleep’ about?
Nate: It’s about anyone in the world wanting to fight back against the rat race and to chase a dream that prioritizes mental health.
Hunter: Imagine not having to work, you could sleep forever.
What was the creative process like when making ‘forever asleep?’
Nate: Pretty straightforward. We had an idea, jammed it out a couple of times, and next thing you know, we were putting it all together in the studio. It was effortless.
Hunter: Nate said how do you like this riff and I said, that’s one of the riffs of all time and the rest as we say, is history.
How long did it take to complete ‘forever asleep?’
Nate: In terms of songwriting, it took a few months to finalize, but in the studio, it took us no more than 3-4 sessions to finish it.
Hunter: Can’t remember brother, if it didn’t happen five minutes ago, I already forgot.
What message or messages do you both hope fans take away from ‘forever asleep’ and your group’s music in general?
Nate: If we gain any fans, I hope they see that we’re making music unafraid to tackle the real-world problems that we face every day.
Hunter: The message is to be happy with your position as a cog in the machine. Your only purpose is to consume, so be a good little sl*t and keep working a job that you hate, so you can afford sh*t that you don’t need.
What’s next for you two? Are you all working on any upcoming projects, or do you all have any upcoming shows that we should be on the lookout for?
Nate: Right now, we’re just putting together a setlist for our debut show. If anyone wants us as an opener, hit us up on Instagram, haha.
Hunter: That’s classified information. I’m afraid that if I divulge too much information, the FBI might be able to swoop in and ruin my plans.
Where can we follow on social media?
You can get all our current social media links through Linktree, found in our Instagram bio, but put here for you to click on as well:
https://linktr.ee/dunereaperband
Before you both go, let’s ask you two a couple of random questions:
What are your guys’ interests or hobbies outside of music?
Nate: Beer.
Hunter: Quantum Mechanics.
What is your guys’ dream celebrity collaboration?
Nate: Seth Rogen introducing us to the crowd before we play. Easy.
Hunter: Smoking crack with Death Grips.
Thank you both for the great interview; wish you both much continued success!
