The Currys are thrilled to finally put a name on our upcoming album: Keepers!
We crowdfunded the album back in March. (Many, many thanks to all our supporters!) At the time, we anticipated recording five to seven songs to supplement the singles we had released digitally since 2020, like “Last Night” and “Man On the Side.” It would be a collection of songs produced by collaborations with friends and fellow artists; initially, we called the project “Mosaic.” The rest of the band–Sebastian Green on drums, Sam Whedon on guitar, Alex Rees on keys–was called up in the spring for rehearsals and the first round of tracking at Mountainside Studios. The studio time was intended to capture final takes from only the rhythm section (Seb’s drums and Galen’s bass). The rest of the album would then be recorded and produced over the remainder of the summer.
Plans changed, as they tend to, but in a surprisingly productive way: due to some hiccups in the recording schedule (a positive COVID test) and the quick uptake of the band, we ended up tracking drums for THIRTEEN songs, rather than just a half dozen. We started overdubs on the album in May, recording vocals and guitars in our basement studio while Alex and Sam recorded their parts remotely. The summer was a frenzy of activity, with long hours spent in front of Logic arranged around the usual travel and gigs.
As the project began to come together, we realized we had an album full of new songs without including the previously released singles. One of our stretch goals for Kickstarter had been to release some bonus tracks as a companion to the official album. But the songs we initially considered to be bonus recordings were becoming some of our favorites. Eventually, we decided to field a slate of completely new songs* and save the singles for the future bonus release. (Stay tuned–we have plans for a follow-up EP by next spring!)
The resulting album, Keepers, isn’t tied together by a single theme. Rather, these are the songs we decided to keep, and to share with you all. The production on the album strays further from what many will consider the signature Currys sound. The challenge for us was to take our songs and our voices to new places, to see what we could make if we stretched beyond our comfort zone. We don’t want to keep making the same music. We want to make something different, and in the process, we will likely make mistakes and hopefully make discoveries. As a creative enterprise, we have never been prouder of an album than we are of this one.
Back in March, cupping warm coffee in the quiet of Galen’s living room before heading to the studio for the final day of drum tracking, we opened the conversation about the album title with the rest of the band. Suggestions were made, merits debated. Eventually, Sebastian said, “How about ‘Keepers’?”
How about Keepers?
*With just one exception: Galen’s “Man In Love With You,” which we have performed for years but never previously recorded.