Back in August we introduced Feels Like Hell, the new album from Weakened Friends coming soon via Don Giovanni Records, with single ‘NPC‘. What we called “a decidedly existential track featuring guitarist Buckethead inspired by the reality-bending simulation theory,” though one rooted in a very real, contemporary struggle. “Far from some exercise in idle sci-fi daydreaming, the song is urgent, defiant and cathartic,” we described. “Fatalistic, but delivered with the kind of full-throated passion that can only exist in those still with the spirit to fight.”
This attitude is the cornerstone to Feels Like Hell, the record representing a rejection not only of the myriads of forces which make our current culture so bleak and painful, but the all-too-common apathy with which so many react to such conditions. A collection of spiky, confrontational and cathartic songs, notably different from the tone of the Portland, Maine outfit’s previous LP Quitter. “Every soul-destroying facet of our present moment is used as fuel on the fire,” as we continued in our preview. “The hegemony of global capitalism, complete with its mass surveillance, environmental destruction and rampant inequality, is enough to drive anyone to despair, but Weakened Friends are determined to deny it that one last victory. Better to scream, yell, bring the whole thing crumbling down with us.”
With the release of the album only weeks away, Weakened Friends have returned with latest single, ‘Nosebleed’. A song driven by grungy guitars and punchy energy, not to mention the distinctive vocals of lead Sonia Sturino which feel like they are always wavering on the verge of a scream frustration or desperation. “The song came out of a conversation with a friend who was talking about their breakup,” the band explain. “On the surface, they sounded like they were over it, but underneath it all, you could feel the weight of what they weren’t saying. It’s a feeling most of us know too well: pretending we’ve moved on while still being haunted by the past.” And while the track functions perfectly on this level, it is impossible not to push the ideas further when viewed in the context of the rest of the record. How better to speak to the present moment than to conjure a picture of soul despairing but pretending otherwise?
Watch the video by director and cinematographer Tadin Brego below:
Feels Like Hell will be released on the 9th October via Don Giovanni and you can pre-order it now.
