Sometimes it takes a second try to get it right. Seattle power-pop trio Dude York’s new album, Sincerely (out February 24 on Hardly Art), is loaded with strident riffs and yell-along anthems. But the record’s bold, polished sound didn’t come easy.
Originally, Sincerely was a DIY effort home-recorded at a punk house called Magic Lanes. But after playing it for friends, they got a less-than-enthusiastic response from those who heard the first take. One person who tried to mix the album said that there was “drywall in every piece of [the record],” recalls drummer Andrew Hall.
After spending eight months on the whole project, the band decided to scrap the recording. “It felt awful,” says guitarist and lead vocalist Peter Richards. “It left me really confused as to what songs were good, and it was a long process toward feeling confident again.”