They call it second album syndrome. It happens when signs of early promise and the weight of expectation simply prove too much to live up to. It’s an ailment that’s tripped up countless bands on their unrealised paths to glory. It’s difficult to ignore and even harder to overcome. But for Calling All Cars it was all a bit of a non-issue when they returned to the studio to begin work on Dancing With A Dead Man, the follow-up to their highly acclaimed 2010 debut album Hold Hold Fire.

Working once again with Shihad sticks man Tom Larkin in his Melbourne studios, Calling All Cars return to the fold with a renewed focus, energy and confidence in their abilities. Whereas its predecessor was a compilation of tracks taken from a five-year period during the band’s early incarnation, Dancing With A Dead Man is a fiercely honed record that raises the bar and sheds new light on its makers.

Having toured extensively over the past 18 months with rock heavyweights such as AC/DC, Queens Of The Stone Age and Grinspoon – not to mention a spate of their own headline tours – Calling All Cars have taken lessons learned on the road into the studio with them. As Adam puts it, 'If you really want to nail an album, you can’t just cruise. At some point you’ve got to work really hard to get to that level and then try and maintain it. It’s not something you can ever perfect.'