Durry Yearn to Escape the Doldrums of the Suburbs on Debut Album, Suburban Legend

Sibling alt-pop duo Durry flew onto our radars in a big way with their coming-of-age anthem "Who's Laughing Now," and with the release of their debut album Suburban Legend, the viral TikTok hit has grown to be even more powerful.

Consisting of Austin and Taryn Durry, this brother-sister act was born out of the pandemic, when Austin and his wife moved back into his parents' house, where Taryn was also living at the time. Together, the two began creating music together—about their lives, feeling stuck in the suburbs in spire of their biggest dreams, the ups and downs of mental health and everything in between—resulting in the 12 tracks that appear on Suburban Legends. Powered by the duo's bold sound, these songs are always relatable, sometimes soul-bearing and sometimes light and irreverent, but they never miss their mark. Read our full interview with Austin and Taryn on the new album below.

Sweety High: What does the album name Suburban Legend mean to you? Why did that title feel like the perfect summation of this group of songs?

Austin Durry: We grew up in a suburb of Minneapolis called Burnsville. My wife and I moved out for a few years, but then COVID rolled around and before ya know it, I was stuck right back in Burn-out-Burnsville. That's really when I started writing this album. It really started with the wordplay of "urban legend" but it eventually took on a lot more meaning. This whole band thing has always been a long shot. The one that makes art and does what they love, and manages to escape daily grind and mundane suburbs. That's the Suburban Legend we're trying to be.

 

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SH: What do you feel are the overarching themes of the album? What kind of feel do you hope fans take away from it?

AD: The album kind of has two sides to it. One is from the perspective of an adult trudging through the reality of office life and capitalism and examining the world we're being left to tend to. The other is a look back at our teen years. Examining what we've learned and how things have changed, and kind of celebrating the past. I hope fans will come away feeling encouraged and understood. Our motto as a band is "Life sucks, but it's all good." and I hope we can communicate that vibe!

 

SH: How would you describe the album's sound? Production-wise, how did you go about bringing these tracks to life?

Austin & Taryn Durry: We're honestly just trying to make each song sound its best, whatever that means for each song. We're big fans of those early 2000s rock icons, so we're definitely trying to bring some of that to the table. We wanna make songs you can scream along with and jam out, but also something with depth you can really chew on.

(Photo credit: Kay Dargen)

 

SH: How do you feel that these songs represent where you both are in life right now?

Austin & Taryn Durry: These songs weirdly directly mirror what's been happening in our lives. "Who's Laughing Now" is literally written about the success of its own demo. "Coming of Age" is about us both quitting our jobs to pursue music full-time. It's not all biographical, but it's definitely a story we're living in real time.

 

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SH: What would you say are the biggest benefits of making music as a sibling duo? What about the biggest challenges?

AD: Ya know, it's weird. We kinda have the same brain. So in a lot of ways, we work super well together. It's like having two of myself to get more work done. But on the flip side, we have the same weaknesses sometimes, too. Big time ADHD. Sometimes it's a real problem, but we're learning to make it work. The biggest benefit, though, is just a brutal honesty with each other that I think is really valuable, and is hard to get when you didn't literally grow up with your bandmate.

 

SH: What are your favorite songs on the album? Why?

AD: I really like "Suburban Legend." It's just really high-octane rock, with kind of an Americana folk hero story. I think it's a total blast and I can't wait for fans to learn it!

 

SH: Was there anything that surprised you about the process of recording and putting together your debut album?

AD: I think the biggest surprise for me was how much things changed throughout the process. We made major cuts to songs super late in the game, even ditching entirely finished songs if we came up with something better. It was all done very on the fly, but it all felt very natural.

 

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SH: How are you feeling about releasing this debut album to the world?

AD: So excited, and honestly pretty nervous! We've been working on these songs for what seems like forever. Can't wait to finally get them all out there. I've been chasing this band dream for over a decade, and this is the biggest shot I've ever had. But we really believe in these songs. I think we've captured something really special here, and I hope folks really connect with this record!

 

SH: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Austin & Taryn Durry: We're coming on tour! Check out our site (durrymusic.com) for all the dates. We'd love to meet everybody and sing these songs with all of you! We're just so grateful to be doing what we're doing and so thankful anybody is listening to what we're making. We're just getting started, and can't wait to see where this thing goes next.

 

For more on the stories behind our favorite songs, click HERE to read our interview with Zoe Ko on her new music video for "Rib Cage."