Kevin Duerr (bass) and Joel Thompson (drums) of Druse
Today we are featuring the debut EP from Rochester, NY avant-garde post-hardcore band Druse. The band Kevin Duerr on bass and Joel Thompson on drums, and released The Way That We Ache in March 2016. Listen to the record below.
We spoke to bass player Kevin about his band and about the record:
Ideally, our music could speak entirely for itself, but separating music from the context in which it was created is an impossible task. So let’s get into it a little bit.
To ache is to feel a uniquely painful sensation. It possesses a humanizing characteristic that other stimuli fail to capture. It sits with you – a dull, throbbing reminder of an experience still worth processing. It makes you acutely aware of its presence, forcing you to develop a heightened sense of carefulness and consideration on a moment-by-moment basis. To ache is to know the spectre of pain, a moment in linear time now firmly in the past but burning its influence into the present. To ache is to boldly face our mortality; to understand ourselves with a stronger conviction than we did the day before.
The way that we ache is what unifies us. The way that we ache is a common awareness of our limitations, our potential and our shared experiences. We choose to believe in the way that we ache because our physicality is our single definitive truth. We are tethered to one another by this feeling. We learn to grow and stave off the ache, but we know its truth and its purpose.
We face our pain because our species is designed to survive and persevere. We do it because we have to.
The songs on this record attempt to communicate this message. We hope that what you hear comforts you, in some small way. We hope you understand the way that we feel.
The Way That We Ache was recorded and mixed by Jon Markson at The Gallery recording studio in Brooklyn, NY in summer of 2015. Mastered by Justin Colletti. Artwork and design by Alex Miracle. The record is available now to download or stream through the Druse Bandcamp page.
