Page 39 - ION Indie Magazine MarchApril 2024

“The album is called ‘Hard Times & Deadlines’ after our first single off the album, ‘Hard Times’,” said
Dougherty. “One of the lyrics within the song includes the phrase, ‘Hard times and deadlines,’ and it
had been so long since we had released a full-length album, that we were simply just experiencing
how challenging it is to navigate being serious musicians while also maintaining other jobs for financial
reasons. We were feeling the hard times at points during the creation of this album, and also feeling
the pressure of continuing the creation, but if you don't keep putting stuff out, you come close to fading
away. So, ‘Hard Times and Deadlines’ is our literal way of putting how we're feeling.”

Dougherty explained that while everyone in the band contributes to song writing and perfecting, he
and guitarist and other lead vocalist, Ben Majeska, are the two primary sources of Armchair Boogie’s
original music.

“Ben and I will come to the band with a song that’s maybe 75% finished and we’ll pass it around the
band to see how we collectively finish it off. This method has been really working for us lately, and
one of my favorite singles off the album, ‘Livin’,’ is actually the result of this method,” Dougherty smiled.
“I looked for a bit more collaboration than I normally do for ‘Livin’’ because we were already sitting
and tinkering with it together as a band. So, the syncopated jam session that emerged from it was too
good to toss out.”

Tinkering and playing off of one another’s music and ideas has shaped many songs in Armchair
Boogie’s repertoire, and often the memories that come from these days feed into what their favorite
songs to perform together are.

“‘Livin’’ is one of my favorites to perform because it’s just so fun, and I always remember that
impromptu jam session,” Dougherty chuckled. “I think it's a good example of the genre that we’re in
and the sound that we produce. It's my favorite because it’s hard to be perfect at it. It’s technical
enough to be challenging, and I like that I screw it up every once in a while. I have a drive to play
better because of that song.”