The Seattle rock trio Dude York are back with their second full length album Falling. This time the two songwriters Peter Richards and Claire England share the writing and vocal duties equally. A departure from the male dominated debut album, the variety in vocals showcases the bands growth since 2017. Falling is described as a love letter to the alt-rock love songs of yesteryear. We’ve had enough 80s and 90s nostalgia recently, time for some 00s nostalgia.

Sarcasm aside, it’s an odd feeling to listen to this album, particularly the England fronted tracks, and be reminded of the alt rock scene in the late 90s and early 00s. While never exactly outshining the bands that clearly inspired the album, Dude York have managed to recreate that early pop punk sound and for some that will recreate the feelings they had back in the day. Melodies and rhythms are reminiscent of bands like Jimmy Eat World and Lit. It’s a very specific sound to aim for but the trio obviously miss that time with lines like ‘do you think we’d be friends in 2006?’ Hopefully, this passion will translate to those who miss the music of Fall Out Boy and Taking Back Sunday.

If you’ve listened to any of the tracks on Falling and find you like it then luckily the entire album sounds vaguely the same. The changing vocals between Richards and England becomes a blessing as each track would blend into the next otherwise. At least there is some variety in the vocals. Unfortunately, this is the biggest issue the album has. For anyone wanting anything beyond mid 00s alt-rock nostalgia, these tracks are boring. It’s such a shame, but Falling just doesn’t have enough to hook listeners. Each track feels about a minute too long since there’s not much beyond a catchy tune.

One has to ask if there is a large market for this kind of alt rock nostalgia album. Regardless of the answer it’s probable that Dude York don’t care. What they do care about is making an album for the people that like the same music as them. For those people Falling will be enjoyable. For everyone else this is an album best to miss.