The Minnesota indie-rock band’s first single, and title track to their sophomore album, “This Movie Sucks” pulls us in with dreamy, retro vibes while ramping us up with an anthemic chorus.
DURRY’s namesake comes from the brother-sister duo that the band is comprised of, Austin and Taryn Durry. The band formed during a time the world was facing the uncertainty of a global pandemic. While the siblings were quarantined together, they formed a band and accidentally became an overnight sensation. It took time for them to piece together what would become their debut album, Suburban Legends, but the determination to follow their dreams paid off. Suburban Legends touches on themes of childhood experiences, relatable struggles, and acceptance of where you’re at in life. While the approach to their sophomore album certainly looks different, from the writing process to having studio time and a producer, DURRY has maintained the importance of keeping their DIY feel (which we deeply resonate with, here at HMM).
The strong cinematic theme of “This Movie Sucks” comes out in every detail, from its title to the industry terminology to third person point of view, which is often how we watch a movie. The song starts out by embracing us in familiar sounds from our childhoods, a callback to the dreamy, synth-forward opening credits of movies that are nostalgic for us all. It continues with soft tones, as Austin’s gritty, fatigued vocals come in delivering a jaded intro. The tiredness is intentional, reinforcing the message behind the pessimistic words.
If the music wasn’t enough to catch your ear, the vulnerability being shared will. The meaning can be applied to a number of things, whether it be your personal experience in life or the collective frustration and uncertainty of the current socio economic climate. The lyrics to “This Movie Sucks” are inner thoughts that we can all resonate with— grappling with feelings of failure, feelings of falling behind, and questioning why we keep trying when we seem to be stuck in place.
We’re all trying to follow the dream, but sometimes it feels like we’ll never reach it. Or we do, and once we’re on the other side, we find that life just continues. Our dreams keep evolving and keep growing, even when we “make it,” there will be a new dream by that point. There will be more work to do, more to strive for, something else to achieve. The grind doesn’t stop until we’re dead, and coming to that realization and letting it sink in leaves you feeling exhausted and tired of trying. It can feel defeating and difficult to balance out those feelings, to keep pushing forward while being aware of the ever-changing goal, forever chasing the proverbial carrot. The existential dread being shared is something we can all relate to, which does provide a sense of comfort.
Riding high from the reception of Suburban Legends, DURRY may have had the ability to approach writing in a different way, but rest assured, the upcoming album will continue to share the vulnerability and honesty that we loved from their last and will contain a multitude of themes. The band themselves has shared that it “touches on universal themes such as prolonged grief, the toxic nature of Internet culture and remembering loved ones.” There’s also the promise that there will be a little something for everyone, as This Movie Sucks is genre-bending and will range from acoustic to folk to punk songs. The accompanying music video to the debut single and title track, that dropped on Friday, was self directed and edited by the band themselves and has been a success itself, making it onto Vevo’s Incoming Alt playlist.
It’s a delightfully charming DIY music video, where the duo are the directors, stars and audience of parodies of cult classic movies, mainly from the ‘80s and ‘90s, staying right on theme. Keep an eye out for the album release on June 27, 2025 and check out the music video below!
Pre-order a variant of the album, including a limited edition (300) and a coke bottle clear, from Durry’s local records stores, Down In the Valley and Electric Fetus here: