Song of the Day: Dude York - Cannibal

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, is “Cannibal” by Dude York from the 2014 album Dehumanize on Help Yourself Records.

Dude York – Cannibal (MP3)

Seattle trio Dude York plays power punk pop music that, above all, has one message: let’s have fun! This philosophy is evident on their most recent studio release, Dehumanize, which showcases the band’s fast-paced playing and lead singer Peter Richards' silly-putty-like voice – complete with malleable tones and bouncy flow. Along with having a good time, the band has been quite prolific with their recording since they formed in December of 2009, having put out a record every year since 2010.

Today's featured song, “Cannibal”, embodies Dude York’s fun sensibilities. Unassuming at first with a simple guitar riff, followed almost immediately by BIG and Loud and Crashing and that flexible voice. It’s head-bobbing music with a little shattered glass in the background. You aren’t sure if you’re in a bar, a concert hall or someone’s unfinished basement with spray paint cans lining the floor. This music, with all its mirth, fits almost everywhere. “I am sticking out my tongue, telling you what I want, just to be nonchalant,” Richards sings over snares. His lyrics are minimal throughout the two-minute piece, but the feeling of the song is huge.

Dude York will be playing February 21 at Cairo with Pony Time, Marriage and Cancer. On February 27, the trio will be playing in San Francisco at Bender’s, followed by a March 7 gig in Fullerton, CA, and then on March 20-23 at Boise, Idaho’s Treefort Music Festival. Check out their website and Facebook page for more information. For now, here they are performing live on KEXP's Audioasis back in 2012: