Dude Trips

Sequestered in the far north-eastern coastal wilds of Fraserburgh, Scotland, the band’s sound draws from much wider and more varied influences than their remote, sleepy seaside town origins might allude to.

“Apart from the cold, we wouldn’t change it for the world,” says lead vocalist Shaun Ross on their birthplace. “It’s a breath of fresh air and it’s fair to say we’ve enjoyed growing up here in Fraserburgh. The town itself has quite a rough reputation but we feel that aspect has helped shape us into the people we’ve become today.

Three out of four of the band growing up together helped solidify their bond, as Ross explains, “We were never out of each other’s company, even years prior to starting the band.” Living within walking distance to the beach set up an ideal pastime for the band throughout their teenage years—hanging out with mates, underage drinking and listening to music that would eventually influence their own records.

“There’s not much of a music scene here in Fraserburgh,” Ross continues, “and hasn’t been for years.” Recently the local council scrapped the only musical outlet for young musicians (The Youthie) without giving local residents or young people much say in the matter. “Since then we’ve had to travel to Aberdeen, forty miles south, which opened up doors to new sounds and musical influences.”

Since forming in late summer 2016, the band have so far released two EPs: Sad Lads—written on a whim in an attic, with the end goal of playing a single show in Aberdeen—and Keepsake, which was mostly written in a renovated granny flat. With forthcoming debut album Through Love And Death, You’re All I Have Left serving as the band’s first real fully formed piece of studio work, it’s a weightier affair than their previous records, whilst retaining the raw emotion of earlier releases.

“We definitely experimented more throughout our time in the studio with Ricky Beetlestone,” enthuses Ross, “and I guess most of the influence for the record comes from going through hard times. We are a band that have always written truthfully about shit that’s happened throughout our lives. At first it didn’t click, but when we finished writing the album we realised that fifty percent of the songs touched on love, and the other half touched on death.”

Their band may have started as a bit of fun between childhood friends, but as with all music, theirs has really started to live and breathe as they begin to find an audience, and it’s something that has had a profound effect on the young Scots. “In recent months, we’ve had a few people reach out and tell us that our music has helped them through some tough times,” rounds up Ross. “If we can process our feelings through our music, and the listeners can too, then that will drive us to make music for as long as we possibly can.”

And that’s the thing about Dude Trips that hits home: when it really comes down to it, what else is there that connects us apart from the universal human truths, like friendship, love, and death?