Song of the Day: Duke Evers - Lions

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Morning Show with John Richards, is "Lions" by Duke Evers from their 2014 self-released Handful of Pennies EP.

Duke Evers - Lions (MP3)

We know what you're thinking: not another guitar and drum rock duo! There are plenty of those out there already, and yes, some of them are quite good, but eventually they all end up compared to The Black Keys or The White Stripes (neither of which were hardly the first). Seattle duo Duke Evers, though, have crafted a different sound on their recent Handful of Pennies EP, relying more on punchy pop hooks than bluesy grit. Drummer Kyle Veazey can certainly pummel and drive like the best of them, but it's Josh Starkel's ringing guitar and resonant voice that take them out of the swampland and into the evergreens. Today's featured song, "Lions", might as well have been performed by a traditional four-piece, for all its energy, and, on it, Starkel's rich guitar play recalls 00's Brit rock as much as some of our own local post-grunge rockers. It's amazing, actually, how much noise these two can make.

You can catch Duke Evers live as part of Gender Bender, a benefit show at The Sunset on Friday, April 10, with proceeds going to support Lambert House, an LGBTQ youth center on Capitol Hill. Find out more about the duo's, their music and upcoming shows, on their website and Facebook page. For now, here's a Duke Evers performance that will lift your spirits:

Oh, wait, that's not it...