Listen to Doug Keller and the Dubbed Subs’ debut burner “It’s Always Gonna Rain”

Here at The Key, we’re quite partial to the Tisburys / Riverby indie rock alliance (and not just because the bands feature two XPN alumnuses, Tyler Asay and Doug Keller). The Manayunk-based bands each deliver distinctive, incredibly digable approaches to modern rock — Tisburys leaning more roots / Americana, Riverby leaning more power pop / punk — and their mutual support of one another’s projects is inspiring.

Now, a third branch has grown off the tree: Keller, the bassist of both The Tisburys and Riverby, takes the lead on Doug Keller and the Dubbed Subs, a gritty rock throwback that cites Pixies and Primus as inspirations. Joining Keller on the project are Riverby’s August Greenberg, and Asay from The Tisburys and Riverby, both handling guitar and vocal duties; drummer Greg Ondo rounds out the four-piece, and the result is the propulsive debut single “It’s Always Gonna Rain.”

The song puts Keller’s dirty bass tones in the forefront and moves at a brisk sprint, while lyrically exploring the it-might-get-worse-before-it-gets-better outlook on making progress as a society: “Yes the world is gonna change / But not tomorrow, and not today / You’ve got to burn it down / Only the smoke can pierce the cloud.” Or maybe it’s just about when the hell shows are going to come back; liner notes on the Dubbed Subs Bandcamp frame the song as a conversation between two concert-goers

“It’s Always Gonna Rain” is the first track we’re hearing from Broom Room: Or How I Learned To Stop Caring And Love The Boss, the debut album from Doug Keller and the Dubbed Subs — a record that features an Evil Dead-themed album cover designed by Philly artist Corinne Dodenhoff. Listen below and find out more here.