Today is a very special day for New York indie artist Kyle Duke, not just because it’s Star Wars Day, though that is very dear to his heart, but because he is releasing his debut album, Snack Time. A year in the making, Duke has written and produced all eight tracks of this little snack of an album. The music is very guitar based and ambient, with reverb drenched, whispery vocals bringing a rock sound that's both comforting and relaxing.
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The album encompasses Duke’s life as he moved from a small town in Connecticut to New York City to study music at the Clive Davis Institute.
"I was just writing about all the stuff going on with me. I tried to not write a song just to write a song, but to write about what was affecting me. I wrote it over the past year, which was a pretty transitional period in my life, moving out and starting to do music full time."
Snack Time’s summer release date is perfect for the album’s chill beach vibes reminiscent of Spongebob. Duke recorded all the instruments himself with analog equipment, using low budget microphones to get a casual sound. He recorded the songs both at his parent’s home in Connecticut and in his dorm room at NYU, laying down lines on guitar or keyboard and slight improvisation. His production skills, however, make the tracks clean and polished.
Duke is a part of Brooklyn’s indie rock scene, and plays with his band, Kyle Duke and the Brown Bag Boys at venues like Alphaville and Black Bear Bar. The band is reminiscent of 60’s garage rock, surf music and psychedelic rock, which is due in part to Duke’s love of the Beatles and the Grateful Dead.
You can come to Duke’s record release party on Friday, May 6th at the Bushwick Public House to hear the full album live for the first time.
Connect with Kyle Duke: Official Site | Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud
