The High Strung: 'Real Stone'
Real Stone
Detroit trio The High Strung Craig Bengry hide caption
The Detroit, Michigan-based group The High Strung may have recorded hundreds of tracks together before actually releasing an album, but Ode to the Inverse of the Dude marks their fourth official studio release. The three guys who make up The High Strung grew up together in Michigan and have been best friends since they were kids. Frontman Josh Malerman recalls that he first met Drummer Derek Berk in middle school health class when the two were assigned to construct an anti-drug poster for a group project.
Though the trio has had its share of adolescent mayhem, on the group's latest album, their lyrics are more self-deprecating, personal, and psychoanalytical. Instead of covering things like "heartache and pain and love," the lyrics cover things like guilt, longing, insecurity, self-discovery, and fear. "I just don't want to be cute anymore," says Malerman. "I want The High Strung to grow up and look the audience in the eye." But Ode to the Inverse of the Dude sounds anything but somber or heavy thanks to its upbeat melodies, ever-shifting tempos, catchy choruses, and standout bass lines. Not a single song hits the four-minute mark.
In order to better chronicle their growth and evolution as musicians, members of The High Strung see merit in the '60s trend for bands to release records roughly every six months. Far from being shoddily made, however, the band's upcoming album was produced by Dave Newfeld who has also worked with Broken Social Scene, Super Fury Animals, and Los Campesinos. Ode to the Inverse of the Dude doesn't come out until April 21, but the group's next album is already slated to come out in early 2010.
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