Currently enjoying the fruits of their labor in creating 2022's Midnight Control, Dirty Heads' eighth studio album, the members joined Audacy host Brad Steiner at the Hard Rock Hotel in New York City along with a group of fans to discuss their excitement in offering up the band's best music to date.
LISTEN NOW: Dirty Heads at the Hard Rock Hotel NYC
"It feels good," says singer Dustin "Duddy B" Bushnell, to be able to say after almost a decade and a half together that the band has managed to not only resist implosion like so many other groups, but they're also at the top of their game. "I understand maybe the first two albums [2008's 'Any Port in a Storm' and 2012's 'Cabin by the Sea'], that's where a lot of people found us," he adds, "so that's usually going to be people's favorite albums, like a lot of my favorite albums are the first albums. Because you're just finding it, it's a new girlfriend, it's the honeymoon phase, it's fresh. But quality of songs, no filler -- I think we're just at a spot in our career now to where we know what we want and we know how to get it."
"Before we were working with producers and songwriters, just young and scared, and listening to people and not listening," Duddy continues, "having that mentality where you know everything when you're really young, and then you don't know everything. It's like you're walking this f***ing tightrope of just, you don't know what's going on. I think we're at the point now where we know what producers we want to work with, we know what songwriters, we know how to get certain tones, we know where our voices feel good, what keys work good..."
Although Duddy says he never checks the comments sections, the fan response has been incredible according to the rest of the band. On stage, he's been happily surprised to see crowds going crazy for brand-new tracks without having to make proper introductions.
"We play this new song 'Island Glow' -- and it seems to be one of the favorites, it's our favorite. There's never been a time where we just played a brand-new song that nobody really knew," he says, "and within the first two seconds the crowd went apes**t, comparatively to the most popular songs... that's a good sign, and usually that's how I base things. I don't look at numbers, I don't look at streaming... that stuff gives me anxiety and I let these guys do that. If we're playing the show and people are enjoying it, that's my gauge and it seems to be working."
"I love reading hate comments," guitarist and singer Jared "Dirty J" Watson says with a laugh. "It gives me energy... like a cup of coffee in the morning and someone telling me I'm a piece of s**t... I'm like, 'Oh yeah, I love this guy!'"
Check out our full chat with Dirty Heads above, and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite artists right here on Audacy.
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