Bike Routes - Prairie

Listening to Bike Routes is a lot like watching a montage from a classic coming-of-age flick.  Illuminated in the glow of warm synths, sparse guitar, and rich beats, you might catch a glimpse of a small town (much like the one you call home), a lovestruck young couple (as they make their escape into a new life), or an extraordinary feat accomplished by a seemingly ordinary person. Set to a soundtrack-esque patchwork of indie, emo, post-punk, and pop, a flurry of memories, experiences, and emotions flicker in and out of focus under the auteur-like direction of singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer David Osterhout.

“For this album, we had two years of careful and precise planning,” Osterhout says. “These 11 songs are the perfect encapsulation of what Bike Routes was meant to be from the beginning. Even back when I was playing coffee shops ten years ago, this record is what I’ve been building towards.”

Ever since his childhood, the South Jersey native has harbored an intense and obsessive passion for music. After years of grinding locally with an acoustic guitar, he introduced the world to Bike Routes with his 2020 debut Let It Go. His songcraft naturally evolved across Love Is An Action [2022] and the Rush of Energy EP [2024]. Along the way, he developed his stage presence, touring with Hawthorne Heights. Capitalizing on this momentum, he architected what would become Prairie with longtime producer Zach Tuch. David made a series of trips to Los Angeles where he brought these songs to life in Tuch’s Woodland Hills studio. This time around, he leaned on his formative musical inspirations and nodded to favorite authors like Iris Murdoch, Kurt Vonnegut, and Cormac McCarthy whose Border Trilogy proved to be especially influential.

“New Jersey is big for me,” he goes on. “As a kid, I listened to a lot of Bruce Springsteen in addition to My Chemical Romance. Then, my mom introduced me to ABBA. I’m a huge hip-hop fan, but I love hardcore, grind, and death metal too. My music pulls from all directions. I want my voice and lyrics to fit over anything. I added full band elements on Love Is An Action and expanded the sound even more on Rush of Energy. I’m in a different place again. Bike Routes will still be Bike Routes no matter what.”