Blues got its bite back through Brad Dubay’s raw revival in You Did it to Yourself –

Brad Dubay extended the lineage of old-school blues with his debut album, Planet 9. The way he orbits sixties and seventies blues rock reverence through traditional production and instrumentation, letting it all run raw, allows you bed into the soul of the genre as it used to exist, with no excessive polish, just the pure, unfiltered sanctity of swanky blues scales, the shimmer of organ keys, and vocals that refuse to let the rhythm take a back seat. That’s what gives the standout single, You Did it to Yourself, its semi-instrumental feel. It makes you submit to the timeless power of blues riffs. The vocals are there to bolster the narrative of the guitars as they glide through a vignette of redemption—the kind that follows someone asking you to rectify the consequences of their own reckless decisions.

Through Planet 9, recorded entirely through analogue processes between Boston and Nashville, Brad Dubay resurrects the live-band spirit of blues rock. With no pedals on the guitar work and reverb recorded through vintage physical units, Dubay proved his commitment to authenticity down to the last crackle of vinyl. With help from Max Chase on Hammond, Caleb Dyer on bass, and Mike Walsh on drums, he stitched the past into the present without pastiche. At 24, he’s resurrecting what made blues magnetic with new blood and wild-eyed soul.

You Did it to Yourself is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast