Sometimes to find the real beginning of something you have to begin again. That’s how it was for Buddy on the group’s second album. The Los Angeles indie pop group was formed by Buddy, a Portland-born musician who relocated to Los Angeles in 2002, originally as an acoustic project.
The band evolved to a full-fledged rock outfit in 2006 when Buddy was asked to open for Tommy Stinson but couldn’t play guitar with a broken arm and enlisted several friends as his backing band. The band’s debut album, Alterations and Repairs, came out in 2007 to a strong response. Buddy and his band recorded an entire new album in 2009 and, after touring with Gomez in 2010, determined to scrap it because it didn’t quite fulfill their musical goals.
In 2012, Buddy and guitarist/bassist Will Golden started writing and recording together in Los Angeles, with Will leading the charge on much of the album’s production. The band’s second album, Last Call For The Quiet Life, reflects Buddy’s struggle and reconciliation with himself over the past few years. The disc features Michelle Branch, Cary Brothers and Holly Conlan, who lend their voices to the soaring melodies, and was mixed with Phil Ek at Avast Studios in Seattle in early 2013. The music itself embraces a more up-tempo rock vibe that reflects Buddy’s live performance, each instrument layering together to create a buoyant but introspective indie pop vibe. On the album, Buddy creates an overall narrative of what it means to find the right beginning. Or, to let it find us.
