Road to Ladybird EPs Midway through 2002 Dallas Crane signed a management deal with talent managers, Majorbox Music, in Melbourne. The band's follow up release was a five-track extended play, No Through Road. It was also released as a 7" vinyl single, with the title track and a raucous B-side, "Wannabe". It was recorded at Sing Sing Studios with Rowlands as producer. The song was well received critically and earned high-rotation on Triple J, consolidating them as a prospering force in the local music scene. Dallas Crane continued to tour Australia, joining the Whitlams, and Rocket Science on national runs consecutively. They played at Homebake in Sydney in 2003, joining fellow Australian groups the Church and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds for the festival's line-up. Then they teamed up with music mates Dan Brodie and the Broken Arrows and Dan Kelly and the Alpha Males for a national tour, Dan Does Dallas. Dallas Crane started their own headline tour promoting No Through Road and finished the year at Melbourne's Big Day Out festival. Shortly after that performance, they gathered backstage to sign with Albert Productions, joining label mates AC/DC on a roster that had included the Easybeats and Rose Tattoo. "Ladybird" was released in November 2003 as the first official Alberts' release leading to more high-rotation on Triple J. 2004-2005: Self-titled album Dallas Crane recorded its self-titled third album with Australian producer Wayne Connolly, (You Am I, Underground Lovers). Bourke described how "Wayne saw us play once and loved the show. He seemed to know what to do with us." Its lead single, "Dirty Hearts", was issued ahead of the album in June, which debuted in the ARIA Singles Charts Top 50. The album reached the top 50 on the related ARIA Albums Chart in July 2004. It was acclaimed as their best effort, Graeme Hammond of Sunday Herald Sun praised it as "an Australian classic." The group received three nominations at the ARIA Music Awards of 2004, Best Breakthrough Artist – Album and Best Rock Album for Dallas Crane and Best Breakthrough Artist – Single for "Dirty Hearts". In July they toured the Australian east coast under the pseudonym, Beige Visitors, alongside You Am I, which used the moniker, the Question Fruit. The singles "Dirty Hearts" and "Numb All Over" went on to achieve high-rotation on Triple J, setting up a string of sellout tours to follow. Both