8.5.19

Dude York. New single and album.



Seattle trio Dude York have returned with the new full-length Falling, their tribute to adolescent romance and the pop-punk that proliferated on the FM radio wavelengths of yesteryear. To celebrate the announcement, the band has shared a new animated music video for the album's title track. Falling will be out Friday, July 26th on LP, CD, Digital, and Cassette via Hardly Art. First-run LP copies come on frosting-colored vinyl. 
The title track is a gleeful ode to new, unexpected love where all the details matter. “We used to like all the same shit/do you think we’d be friends in 2006?” England sings. The track is pure pop gold, with equal parts sweet sentiment and Josie and the Pussycats-soundtrack playfulness. “I was starting to think/That it would be/When passion lined up with practicality,”England muses on those pesky expectations of love, gleaned from radio songs and rom-coms. “But I secretly hoped when it happened to me there would be no doubt/It would feel like falling.” 

“There are two ways things can fall,”says Dude York’s Claire England. “They can fall and be ruined, or they can fall gently like a feather and be fine.”On Falling’, their second full-length for Hardly Art, the trio explores that sentiment—evoked by the broken cake on the album cover and the soft confetti on the inside sleeve—through impossibly catchy and emotive songs that investigate the ways you can fall in and out of relationships, and sometimes fall back together. 

Recorded at Different Fur Studios in San Francisco with producer Patrick Brown, Falling finds Dude York sounding bigger and more fully-realised than ever with hits that would feel perfectly at home sandwiched between Jimmy Eat World and Third Eye Blind in early 2000s alt-rock radio rotation, while somehow still sounding utterly their own. Peter Richards (guitar) and England (bass) share equal songwriting and lead vocal duties on this record, a significant change from their previous album, 2017’sSincerely, on which England fronted only two songs. The duality of their songwriting and vocals compliment each other emotionally and sonically, with Andrew Hall’s harmonies and driving drums providing their own unique character in each song. The collaboration is clear—each part is carefully crafted, with Richards’ guitar adding texture to the verses and then soaring into the particularly special kind of guitar solos that make you want to sing along.
A line of nostalgia runs through the record as the songs investigate the deep ties we have to the pop culture that defined our youth. “I grew up listening to all this pop-punk and alt-rock that was mostly male-fronted, but I want to fill that hole I saw by recreating it now for myself,” says England. “I’m trying to capture the feeling of the music I listened to when I fell in love with music.”
The title track is a gleeful ode to new, unexpected love where all the details matter. “We used to like all the same shit/do you think we’d be friends in 2006?” England sings. The track is pure pop gold, with equal parts sweet sentiment and Josie and the Pussycats-soundtrack playfulness. “I was starting to think/That it would be/When passion lined up with practicality,” England muses on those pesky expectations of love, gleaned from radio songs and rom-coms. “But I secretly hoped when it happened to me there would be no doubt/It would feel like falling.”


Falling is tinged with a sense of longing—whether it’s for the beginnings of a relationship, for the way you thought it was going to be, or simply for the version of a former self you think you remember being. “I feel like a lot of the songs that were reference points consciously or unconsciously for this record dealt with everything very much in black and white, and that really resonates with you when you’re 14,15,16, 17...” explains Hall. “I think people who have nostalgia for those songs are exploring that grey area a little bit more.”
The delightfully melodramatic “Box” sounds like a lost gem from the NYC early aughts post-punk revival, with Richards’ deep, emotive voice singing playful nods to The Killers and Dashboard Confessional while sneaking in lines of a fallout that cut deep—“Now on your own/There’s no one left for you to hide from behind your phone”—before soaring into the Cure-like chorus “I’ll never love again.”
The production on Falling is full of meticulous details and sonic tricks designed to hit that deep teenage place in your heart, whether it’s the dense, chugging guitars or impeccably-placed harmonies. “We all have very different reference points for music and then when we swap them in becomes something totally different,” says Richards. He didn’t grow up as attached to the radio-friendly emo music that defined the adolescence of the rest of the band, but when he got into the genre in the past few years decided he wanted to embrace it in his songwriting, which comes across in the heavy guitars and dramatic arrangements that shine on songs like “How it Goes.”
Ultimately, the relationship Dude York is really investigating and playing around with is their relationship to music. By playing with tropes of romantic relationships, Dude York created a record that feels like a love letter to the alternative radio of yesteryear while managing to stay uniquely singular.
Listen here.
-- Robin Edwards
TOUR DATES
05.07.19 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater *
05.18.19 - Seattle, WA - Chop Suey *
05.22.19 - Fresno, CA - Strummers *
05.23.19 - San Luis Obispo, CA - Fremont Theater *
05.24.19 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst *
* - w/ The Frights
 
‘Falling’ tracklist:
1. Longest Time
2. Box
3. I’m the 1 4 U
4. Should’ve
5. Only Wish
6. Unexpected
7. How It Goes
8. Falling (video)
9. Doesn’t Matter
10. Let Down
11. :15
12. Making Sense
13. DGAFAF (I know what’s real)

5.5.19

The Coathangers + Weekend Recovery. The Key Club, Leeds. 01.05.19.



Despite years and years of gigging in Leeds this is the first time I’ve been to The Key Club, a small, basement venue under the Merrion Centre that’s perfect for tonight’s mix of garage pop punk.

A week ago Weekend Recovery were a four piece. This is their first gig without lead guitarist Owen Barnwell. With singer Lorin now taking over all guitar duties this is their first gig as a three piece and from tonight’s performance they don’t need to rush to find a replacement. Weekend recovery deliver a rapid fire set of raw, punky garage songs that includes most of their 2018 EP ‘In The Mourning’ and a decent chunk of LP ‘Get What You Came For’. Huge riffs, grungy bass lines, pounding drums that all underpin Lorin’s intense vocals Weekend Recovery blast out 30 minutes of pure energy that includes the raw ‘Turn It Up’, ‘Why Don’t You Stay’ and ‘Get What You Came For’, the powerpop of ‘Oh Jenny’ and new song ‘Come And Get It’. Weekend Recovery continue to move forward whilst retaining the relentless energy, noise and infectious melodies. They need not worry about being reduced to just three.


Weekend Recovery

Weekend Recovery

Weekend Recovery


Weekend Recovery


In the 13 years since their formation and first raucous gigs in dingey Atlanta basements The Coathangers have released six albums all full of intoxicating, powerful, punk rock n roll yet with each one they’ve continued to develop and deliver something a little different whilst retaining the Coathanger vibe.

Dressed in matching gold lame dresses with pointy shoulders The Coathangers take to the stage and open with the quiet, emotional, solo ‘Lithium’ – “One pill, two pill. You’re my new friend” sings Julia Kugel. It’s a heartwrenching, beautiful, sad opener. Perfect to focus your attention but nothing like what is to come. With a new album to promote it’s no surprise a large chunk of tonight’s set is drawn from recently released ‘The Devil You Know’ and ‘ Lithium’ is followed by an hour of glorious punk, pop, rock n roll. From the low-fi melodic drone erupting into manic noise of ‘Crimson Telephone’, the raw, gruff vocals of Stephanie Luke and driving guitar and bass riffs of ‘Five Farms’, the ominous, often chaotic ‘Stranger Danger’, the perfect combination of twee pop and sharp, jarring rock of ‘Bimbo’ and the almost sweet tones of Kugel’s vocals that can’t take away the pain of the subject on ‘Step Back’ – songs from ‘The Devil You Know’ are as perfect live as they are recorded. Of course there’s the relentless attack on America’s National Rifle Association in the form of ‘F The NRA’.

The Coathangers


2016’s ‘Nosebleed Weekend’ is also well represented in the form of ‘Nosebleed Weekend’, ‘Make It Right’, ‘Down Down’, the scratchy, almost Au Pairs, guitar sounds on ‘Watch Your Back’.

Throughout it all the juxtaposition of Kugel’s and Luke’s vocals work perfectly. Luke also hammers out some explosive drumming and always with a mischievous grin across her face whilst Meridith Franco, often lost in the shadows stage left, adds her deep, heavy bass licks. Despite the often dark focus of their songs The Coathangers are clearly having fun. There’s plenty of knowing smiles and a number of ‘in jokes’.

A smattering of songs from 2014’s ‘Suck My Shirt’ - ‘Springfield Cannonball’, ‘Follow Me’ and, later, ‘Shut Up’ are perfect jump around punk.  The Coathangers swap instruments, swap vocal duties, veer from manic noise to perfect guitar pop. Finishing with ‘Squeeki Tiki’, all hyperactive bass rhythm, squeeky toy and the repetitive “You can have it I don’t want this shit’ The Coathangers have played 20 songs in 60 minutes. There can’t be many better ways to spend an hour of your life.

The Coathangers

The Coathangers

The Coathangers

The Coathangers

The Coathangers

The Coathangers

The Coathangers

The Coathangers

The Coathangers