Barkinghaus – say it aloud. It sounds like a smoky bar teeming with stiff drinks and mustache-twirling regulars. The jukebox would be full of swampy blues, jazz and a “Murder Hymn.”

It’s the name of The Sundresses’ new album, something the trio took more than a year to finish.

The band pitched the full-length album to a handful of record labels, but ultimately decided to self-release it.

“The model has already been set up by bands like Sonic Youth and Black Flag,” says guitarist/drummer Jeremy Springer. “I think it’s the perfect time to do it now because the industry is on its ear.”

One label rep tried to convince him and fellow guitarist/drummer Brad Schnittger to hire a drummer – an outlandish proposal, says bass/trombone player Makenzie Place.

“At that moment, I realized this person does not get it – they don’t get the idea of The Sundresses,” she says.

The band doesn’t have a high opinion of the record industry. It’s not ready to throw the ‘Haus into that “pile of s—”, as Schnittger describes it.

“Literally, it’s like a child to us. The worst thing we can do is put our kid with the wrong babysitter.”

The Sundresses are colored with bitterness and pride – perhaps because it has received an outstanding amount of positive feedback since 2002. The band offers Barkinghaus this week. – Cincinnati Metromix