LA rock duo, The Dose are always growing, and their recently released album, Saline is a direct reflection of that. Chronicling the two years following the release of their self-titled debut EP, Saline not only finds vocalist/guitarist Indio Downey and drummer Ralph Alexander expanding their horizons as songwriters, but it also depicts their own personal and spiritual growth as people. The Dose have spent three years sharpening their sound, living and working together on the road and at home in Los Angeles, and it shows.
With Saline out now, anything is possible for The Dose in the remainder of 2019. Get to know a little bit more about the duo, the album and more below, and stay tuned for updates and show announcements!
The last time we caught up with you guys, you were just getting ready to release your debut EP. What have you been up to since then?
RALPH: We’ve been hard at work writing and recording our follow up debut LP, ‘Saline’!
INDIO: Writing new material, recording our first full length album and supporting Good Charlotte on their US/EU/UK Generation RX Tour.
You guys just recently released your new album, Saline. Can you tell us a little bit about it? What inspired this one?
RALPH: Saline is kind of a time capsule for me. It really represents 2016-2018 and everything we were doing in our lives. For me, using the life experiences that were happening at the time inspired me to write the record.
INDIO: Saline was written about perseverance in the face of opposition during a time of spiritual growth.
How do you feel you’ve grown as artists between the release of your debut EP and Saline?
RALPH: I think we’ve grown as songwriters the most. We really focused on telling an efficient story and letting each track breathe a little bit more. There are a few parts where we let loose and try and show off a little, but for the most part, we’re just serving the song and the story.
INDIO: We just completed our first US/EU/UK tour supporting Good Charlotte. Playing almost every night for months has really helped us lock in our sound.
What was the most rewarding or exciting part about working on Saline?
RALPH: For me the most exciting part was hearing the culmination of a little riff or melody make its way onto the speakers in a studio. When all the moving pieces of a song are finally supporting the one little idea you had in your head, it’s pretty powerful.
INDIO: The gift is giving.
Were there any challenges you faced when working on the album? If so, how did you overcome them?
RALPH: There are always challenges, especially over a two-year period. Break ups, life changes, struggles, etc. We just happened to be making a record over problems everyone has in normal life. Luckily, we had a creative outlet to channel those experiences and I think it definitely helped. We’re fortunate to have had that.
INDIO: Recording vocals is hard when it doesn’t sound the way you want it to because you can’t always force it. You get what you give. My voice doesn’t sound good when I don’t warm up. A little relief goes a long way.
You guys recently released “Tart” from the album. Can you tell us a little bit about that track?
RALPH: “Tart” for me is definitely the track we get to show off a little and rock out the most. We close our set with it every night because it packs a good punch to leave with the audience. One of my personal favorites on the record.
INDIO: “Tart” is about feeling like my delusions are tearing me away from the one I love.
What are you most excited for fans to hear on the album?
RALPH: The diversity we bring to our writing. I think most people would assume we’re just a throwback grunge band, but there are a lot of sounds and textures on this record that I think would surprise almost everyone.
INDIO: We are the only two piece that is able to keep a full rhythm section going during solos.
With Saline out now, do you have any other big plans coming up?
We’ll be hitting the road and performing at a bunch of radio stations.
Any shows or tour dates in the works?
You’ll have to wait and see 😉
Thanks for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks for the support! We hope you enjoy the record and we’d love to see you a show soon!
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