Nothing comes easy for independent bands – just ask the Dexateens.

The Tuscaloosa-based quintet has seen its share of trouble and strife during its existence, most notably the loss of co-writer and guitarist John Smith to a job offer in Ohio.

“That’s a big part of the chemistry of the band, even though it’s a road block,” said singer and guitarist Elliot McPherson. “Nothing’s ever been easy for us as far as making time to do tours and get together.”

One problem the band quickly solved was the long distance writing process. Smith and McPherson traded four-track tapes through the mail for years before recently opting for MP3 technology to solve the distance gap.

“His songs are really well written,” McPherson said of Smith. “They make sense, and it’s not a struggle to learn (them). The band helps me put my songs together, but John’s come in pretty much together.”

The sounds of the Dexateens can be difficult to pin down with influences including rock, country and punk – all of which find a way into the live set lists.

“We slow it down, speed it up, turn it up, turn it down,” McPherson said. “Even though our live shows have more of a punk rock aesthetic than the records, we still manage to turn it down a little bit.”

Friday’s show will mark the release of “Hardware Healing,” the band’s third full length release.

The album was recorded mostly in Athens under the co-production supervision of David Barbe and Drive by Truckers’ frontman Patterson Hood.

Different studios and a combination of various recording techniques, including the inclusion of some of the aforementioned four-track recordings, give the record a unique feel from track to track.

“There’s a lot of different textures on the record,” McPherson said. “I feel like it’s kind of a big collage in a lot of ways; the songs are executed well and all the songs sound different from each other.”

Besides the pleasures of the album, the representation of the band’s personal lives during the recording are equally important to the members.

Songs recorded in Smith’s two-year absence were redone in Athens after literally picking up Smith from the airport on the way to the studio. In the end, however, McPherson knows the final product is the right one.

“It’s real derivative of what we were going through at the time,” he said. “I feel like we got a real accurate representation of the band.”