The Dutchess is Kimberly Morrison and The Duke is Jesse Lortz. The guitar-pop duo is a pair of old friends that grew up playing music in the same community in Seattle and finally joined forces together. She’s The Dutchess, He’s The Duke, their debut full-length on Sub Pop offshoot Hardly Art Records, is full of deceptively cheerful melodies that are offset by personal lyrics that seem darker given their sunny surroundings. Opening track “Resevoir Park” (originally released as a seven-inch on Lortz’s Boom Boom Party Records) creates a striking first impression—a catchy song that pays homage to ’60s pop-folk groups such as The Mamas and the Papas, although Lortz’s vocals are closer to Mick Jagger than John Phillips. Morrison’s unassuming, sweet voice provides a fitting complement. Lortz’s lyrics are well crafted and poignant, notably on “Out of Time” and “Strangers” (“I’ve added up all of the things you’ve done / and I’ve taken a good look at the man that I’ve become / and maybe we’re not strangers after all”). Although primarily an acoustic group, with the help of friends the songs display an assortment of instruments, most successfully on the rich, full-band rendition of “I Am Just A Ghost,” and least successfully on “The Prisoner,” where the purposely off-key flute is as grating as fingernails on a chalkboard. But in spite of a few moments that make one want to run for the hills, their quirks give the songs more human quality, making it easy to imagine that She’s The Dutchess, He’s The Duke is destined to be a cult classic, and The Dutchess and The Duke will be the new queen and king of indie-pop.
– Jamie Ludwig
The Dutchess and The Duke: www.boomboomcastle.com
Hardly Art: www.hardlyart.com