Hailing from Portland, OR, the two-piece Pop duo Dirty White Shoes go emotionally deep with their atmospheric and reminiscent single, "Sucks It Hurts This Bad." Consisting of Angel Ascencio and Jordan Waller, the two have crafted their sound to let listeners connect on deeper levels. When speaking about their music and how they want to impact their audience, Dirty White Shoes stated, "People use music as medicine to find their peace. I hope when people play our songs, they can find that."
With their latest single, "Sucks It Hurts This Bad," Dirty White Shoes brings listeners through a reminiscent storyline with Angel Ascencio's soothing vocals that sing of wanting to go back and play his cards right. Not to mention Jordan Waller's rhythmic electric guitar and fresh drum breaks, the two provide a warm and heartfelt space through each tender element.
"Sucks It Hurts This Bad" begins with a mid-tempo beat drop with airy drum patterns, melodic background keys, and Angel Ascencio's warm vocal stylings. While he starts singing of dealing with a breakup's pain head-on and wanting to go back to better times, Jordan Waller comes through with his technical and sublime instrumentals that offer a bright, optimistic, and tender Pop atmosphere.
With each soft and soothing melody the boys provide, we can't help but drift along with the sweet instrumentals, especially through the melodic piano at the hook. Ending the song off with positively chilling instrumentals and delicate background vocals, we absolutely adore what Dirty White Shoes have done with their single "Sucks It Hurts This Bad," as they bring listeners deep into an emotionally charged and vulnerable space that's easily relatable.
Where did the inspiration for your single "Sucks It Hurts This Bad" come from? Was it emotionally difficult to write lyrics based upon a broken relationship?
It wasn’t so much that I “found” inspiration. I wanted to write the song in a way where it can speak from different perspectives. The song is about a real relationship, but no one was the “bad guy” in it. To be honest I was stuck on this song for so long and felt like I re-wrote the verses so many times. If anything the difficult part of it all was finding the right words to say for both parties.
Seeing as Angel Ascencio handles the songwriting/vocals and Jordan Waller tackles the production, guitar, and drums, what did your overall creative process look like when making "Sucks It Hurts This Bad?"
I had a demo for this song before I met Jordan. I was working on it with a good friend of mine, Cade, who is also an artist. We ended up putting it aside since we both had a couple of projects we were working on at the time. When Jordan and I became official, I sent him the demo I made and he fell in love. We ended up stripping everything except a small drum loop we were really grooving to and the piano I originally laid down. This was one of the more challenging songs we’ve worked on. Something about it required a different level of patience and creativity.
With songs like "Sucks It Hurts This Bad," how do you formulate your music to offer listeners a sense of connection and reliability?
I think that just happens on its own. It's up to me to be true to myself in my writing but the rest is up to our fans. They decide how this specific song relates to their specific situation, whatever that might be. Every song I’ve put out is for the listener.
Now that you have six released singles under your belt, are there any common themes or concepts within your music that listeners can associate your brand with?
One of the best compliments we’ve received “you write quintessential California music”. If I had to pick a common theme it’s that. We write both sad and happy songs you can always play on that sunset drive or out late with your significant other. Our brand is all about chasing a positive outlook through troubling times. It's about letting the music just hit you haha.
Did you face any challenges as a band while creating new music this year?
Yes, but we know everyone has or is facing some sort of challenge. We will always face hardship, but music makes it a little easier.