The Prids

Hailing from Portland, Oregon, the four-piece indie outfit the Prids has upheld a fiercely self-reliant approach across its many years together, pushing into territories of propulsive, distortion-heavy rock that edges toward shoegaze. Established in 1995 in Saint Joseph, Missouri, by Mistina La Fave and David Frederickson during their time as students at Missouri Western State University, the group later moved first to Lincoln, Nebraska, then to Omaha before settling in Portland, with the roster evolving around the central pair of bassist/vocalist La Fave and guitarist/vocalist Frederickson. Following several early EPs—Duracraft in 2000 and Glide, Screamer in 2002—the band delivered its debut full-length, Love Zero, in 2003. A deal with Five03 Records led to the second album, ...Until the World Is Beautiful, in 2006, along with the 2007 EP Something Difficult. During a 2008 tour the members suffered a severe vehicle crash that left everyone injured and destroyed both the van and all their gear; crowdfunding campaigns, among them an online benefit compilation featuring Prids covers by Helvetia, A Place to Bury Strangers, Sleepmask, and additional artists, helped offset medical and equipment expenses. The third album, Chronosynclastic, appeared in 2010 and featured guest guitar by Built to Spill’s Doug Martsch on the track “In the Fall.” Fourth album Do I Look Like I’m in Love? arrived in 2018. Entering the 2020s, more than two decades after formation, the lineup comprised La Fave and Frederickson alongside drummer Geordie Thompson and keyboardist/bassist Cass Yates, with plans in place for a fifth full-length release in 2024.