Music fans know Duffy Driediger as the singer of Vancouver's Ladyhawk, who have won over audiences since 2004 with their gruff 'n' grimy indie rock. It's been over two years since the group's last album, 2008's Shots, and the frontman has now taken the time to record his first solo album, the recently released Scriptural Supplies, under the name Duffy and the Doubters.
With its brisk, snappy arrangements and candy-coated melodies, the singer's solo work is a definite departure from his band's boozy bar rock sound. "I wrote a bunch of songs really fast, and to me, they just sounded too stupid to be Ladyhawk songs," Driediger jokes, speaking on the phone with Exclaim! "Why can't I write a song that has one or two or three chords and sounds super cheesy and has 'woah-woah-woah's in it?"
Driediger goes on to explain that he penned the songs on Scriptural Supplies within a period of a few weeks, recording in Ladyhawk's jam space with the help of his friend Jacob Mullen. The result of these sessions is nine raw, noisy tracks that race past in just 19 minutes, piling bubblegum harmonies on top of bouncy beats and punkish guitars.
"I've just been listening to a lot of music that's really simple and kind of primal, and I kind of wanted to make my own kind of 'Teenage Caveman' vibe," the singer says, referring to Beat Happening's classic indie pop track. This desire for a stripped-down, spontaneous approach resulted in such Scriptural Supplies offerings as the T. Rex-style chug of "Bedside Bible Bong" and the ebullient slab of fuzz on "Metal Detector."
Now that the album has been released via Triple Crown, Driediger is hoping to play shows and book a tour, but is struggling with the logistics of setting up live gigs. "I'm not usually the one that has to organize things, and it's been a bit of a nightmare," he admits. "Oh shit, this is what people have to actually do to book shows?"
Whether or not the Doubters become a touring band remains to be seen. What is certain is that fans will be hearing more releases from Driediger soon. First up is a new Ladyhawk album, as the group have begun working at the Hive studio with engineer Colin Stewart (Black Mountain, Destroyer). "We're going to put out a couple [Ladyhawk] singles, I think, in the next month, hopefully," the singer says, "and then go back and start working on an actual album in earnest."
Driediger also has another side project on the way, this one with Ladyhawk drummer Ryan Peters. They haven't yet decided on a name, but Driediger says that the music "sounds weird. There's some weird samples and drum circles. It sounds pretty mystical."
And, before long, fans can expect another dose of pop from Duffy and the Doubters. "It might not be exactly the same," he says, "but it's definitely not going to be slit-your-writs folk stuff or anything like that."
With its brisk, snappy arrangements and candy-coated melodies, the singer's solo work is a definite departure from his band's boozy bar rock sound. "I wrote a bunch of songs really fast, and to me, they just sounded too stupid to be Ladyhawk songs," Driediger jokes, speaking on the phone with Exclaim! "Why can't I write a song that has one or two or three chords and sounds super cheesy and has 'woah-woah-woah's in it?"
Driediger goes on to explain that he penned the songs on Scriptural Supplies within a period of a few weeks, recording in Ladyhawk's jam space with the help of his friend Jacob Mullen. The result of these sessions is nine raw, noisy tracks that race past in just 19 minutes, piling bubblegum harmonies on top of bouncy beats and punkish guitars.
"I've just been listening to a lot of music that's really simple and kind of primal, and I kind of wanted to make my own kind of 'Teenage Caveman' vibe," the singer says, referring to Beat Happening's classic indie pop track. This desire for a stripped-down, spontaneous approach resulted in such Scriptural Supplies offerings as the T. Rex-style chug of "Bedside Bible Bong" and the ebullient slab of fuzz on "Metal Detector."
Now that the album has been released via Triple Crown, Driediger is hoping to play shows and book a tour, but is struggling with the logistics of setting up live gigs. "I'm not usually the one that has to organize things, and it's been a bit of a nightmare," he admits. "Oh shit, this is what people have to actually do to book shows?"
Whether or not the Doubters become a touring band remains to be seen. What is certain is that fans will be hearing more releases from Driediger soon. First up is a new Ladyhawk album, as the group have begun working at the Hive studio with engineer Colin Stewart (Black Mountain, Destroyer). "We're going to put out a couple [Ladyhawk] singles, I think, in the next month, hopefully," the singer says, "and then go back and start working on an actual album in earnest."
Driediger also has another side project on the way, this one with Ladyhawk drummer Ryan Peters. They haven't yet decided on a name, but Driediger says that the music "sounds weird. There's some weird samples and drum circles. It sounds pretty mystical."
And, before long, fans can expect another dose of pop from Duffy and the Doubters. "It might not be exactly the same," he says, "but it's definitely not going to be slit-your-writs folk stuff or anything like that."
