One of Portland's finest bands, the Prids channel the best (and darkest) elements of '80s new wave and early punk—plus a whole lot of DIY sensibilities—to make them quite possibly the only workingman's goth band. You don't need to own a cape, a pack of cloves, or the deluxe DVD of Harold and Maude to enjoy the Prids. Singer/guitarist David Frederickson takes some time away from working on his tan to talk lawyers, lyrics, and Morrissey's wardrobe.

Your new album, Until the World is Beautiful, seems a lot more focused than your previous records. Can you talk about the change in sound for this new record?

[Bass player] Mistina [Keith] and I have been playing together almost 11 years now. We have our own language. We're really comfortable and I think it's showing now more than ever. We're just doing what we love most—sad pop. We got to go into a really nice studio this time around and we worked with someone other than ourselves. We were able to sit back and listen, as opposed to worrying about technical stuff. We were able to focus on our performances, which made a world of difference.

What was the story behind your recent record label drama?

We signed a deal with an upstart label out of Atlanta, but they didn't know what they were doing; we didn't know what we were doing. They ended up spending more money than they wanted and when it became obvious it was time for us to move, they got really scared and started threatening us with shit like, "We own your name; we own your records forever." They had a lawyer sending us letters demanding like $35,000 if we didn't provide an album within two months. To say the least, they didn't get their $35,000, or our goofy band name. 

True or false: "I wear black on the outside/'cause black is how feel on the inside" is the single greatest goth song lyric ever?

The really funny thing about that lyric is that Morrissey rarely wore black. If all the goths decided to dress like Morrissey, goth would be finished. What the lyric really is is one of the greatest song lyrics ever.

You and Mistina Keith were previously married, but now you are divorced and still live together. Do you ever feel that your life resembles a certain Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy?

I haven't seen the Jennifer Aniston movie where she plays bass, started a band with her husband, they divorce but still remain best friends, live together, and play in a band together. But I'm sure I'll see it when it comes out on DVD.

The Prids play Fri July 14 at Doug Fir Lounge