The Dryes Showcase a Love Worth Fighting For on New Single “YES”

It’s amazing the changes life can bring in just over six months.

When we last talked to husband/wife duo The Dryes as January was coming to a close, they had just released their self-proclaimed (and accurately described) “honky” single “Take You Dancin’,” which was set to kick off a big year for the duo.

In the six months that have followed, the music industry has been nearly halted, however, that hasn’t stopped the duo from building their momentum with their new, romantic single “YES.”

Both “Take You Dancin’” and “YES” have followed the momentum of the band’s 2019 single “Marley,” as the duo says they are grateful for the success they’re continuing to find with their music.

“It’s encouraging to me because every time that we release a new single, it feels like things are progressing with our sound and the number of fine folks who listen to our music,” says Katelyn.

“Yes, I’d say that it feels like we are in a marathon and it slowly but surely keeps getting better,” Derek adds. “Not a perfect path, but that fact that we are doing what we promised ourselves is starting to pay off.”

With their new single, the duo is continuing to keep things sonically fresh by following the “honky” sound of “Take You Dancin’” with the more straight-forward country approach of “YES,” something the band says has been important as they continue to release music.

“I think it’s important as an artist to not repeat yourself, but still stay in your lane, especially starting out. While have many directions we can go sonically (as a couple with individual influences or as a producer), it’s the fact that we specifically feel called to write songs that you can raise a beer or a hallelujah to. That creates enough diversity to feel ‘complete’ as an artist, in my opinion,” says Derek. “There’s more than plenty of details and life observations that fit in our style, and I know that we’ll be writing ‘til the day that we die, which is exactly what an anthem like ‘YES’ suggests on the relationship side.”

“You’re right, babe,” adds Katelyn. “We’ll be saying ‘YES’ in many ways, ‘til the day we die.”

As they delve into how to make a relationship last and the roles that each party plays in building a relationship, the duo says that “YES” is about acknowledging flaws and picking up where your partner may leave off.

“It sounds like an obvious statement, but in practice, it’s really tough when your life is merged with another person. And if your life is truly merged, much like actual family/blood, therein lies the unconditional acceptance of each other outside of ‘what you get’ out of the relationship. We wanted to find a way to somehow write that in the most simple way: ‘(It’s) so hard to give things you wanna get. But I do when you don’t, and you will when I won’t,’” says Derek. “It’s the belief that this person is worth more than their own flaws, and my own flaws, we can all agree that it’s worth fighting for. If that’s mutual, you’re golden. And sometimes it takes time to be a mutual thing, but it’s worth the fight.”

Just a month since its release, “YES” has already become the duo’s second most-streamed song on Spotify and has been added to major playlists on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora and Amazon Music, which the band says validates not only themselves, but the power of the song itself.

“It’s so affirming not just to us, but to the realness of the song and message,” says Katelyn. “Our cowriters Mia Fieldes and Jacob Sooter really put their own marriages into this song as well, so I’d like to thank them for that impact.”

Though 2020 has upended the live music scene around the world, the duo says they plan to stay busy with live streams, reaffirming their passion for their music and gearing up for the release of more new music.

“We’ll continue to have online concerts almost every week and schedule drive-in style shows where possible. It honestly has been such a year to dig in deep and cling to those reasons why we do this,” says Derek. “I believe that the music industry will come back stronger from a songwriting angle, and a business angle. People need to hear what’s been written during these months, that’s for sure.”

“YES. At least for us, these are the best songs we’ve written yet, and although ‘YES’ will always have its own message, we’ve been writing about the idea of the simple life, havin’ backyard parties during all this mess, and all of the things!” says Katelyn. “We have some exciting songs being produced at the moment. We’ll let ya know if that evolves into an EP or an album, but the benefit of being able to call your own shots is watching the analytics for each single so that we know when to release the next thing. So keep sharin’, and we’ll release more! It’s that simple.”

“The songs will make their way out either way, but our fans have a huge impact on what we release next, since they actually hear our unreleased songs,” Derek concludes. “Our shows have always been about what evokes a response from who’s listening, so tune in on Mondays and let us know!”