Local band The Tungsten Groove launched a new album with a release party Friday night at the Rude Dog Pub in downtown Cape Girardeau. The band performed songs from their self-titled album for a packed venue.

The six-piece band has a self-proclaimed Midwest rock-and-roll sound, complete with organs and harmonicas. Songs such as “Big Bear” and “Bad Timing” deliver to the listener their Midwest sound.

Band member Brett Richardet said the album was an independent release taking 3-years to make with all production done in-house.

“The fact that we done it ourselves makes it that much more rewarding, you learn the whole process and you have total say over the whole process, right, wrong, or otherwise that was our call,” Denniger said.

Writing the album independently and without deadline helped the band create their music in an authentic way.

“If you’re in a situation where someone owns your studio time and you go in and rush through it because you’re limited on money or time, you end up taking something that wasn’t the right feel, maybe even the right tempo,” Richardet said.

The band hopes to capture new attention with the album release, giving people something to take home.

“I hope it turns people on to the idea that there’s some fresh and worthwhile songwriters in the area,” Richardet said. “And with the turnout this evening it shows that people are paying attention for sure.”

“It’s finally giving people something to take home, we can come out and play, but once you leave you have to hope we are available, but now we don’t have to be available to listen to us play,” Denniger said.

The band said they did the songs on the album justice because they were not quite ready to call them done. They kept working until they figured out the craft.

“I hope it inspires everybody, I hope it inspires people to put it in their car and get down to driving going to work in the morning, and I hope it helps somebody through their day, that’s the most important thing,” Richardet said.

The Tungsten Groove gets its’ name from an interesting story.

Denniger said the bands’ name was inspired by the tough metal Tungsten. “It stands the test of time,” he said. “You work on something for a while you try to throw out all the dated things, just stick to the groove.”

Richardet said a friend of the band created the album’s cover art which is filled with dark clouds in the night sky.

The Tungsten Groove’s new record can be found on Youtube and Spotify. The band also has physical copies that can be purchased at their shows.