Friendship Commanders have gone from strength to strength in recent years, rightly turning heads (including Everything Is Noise on multiple occasions) thanks to their potent blend of entrenching melodies, hard-hitting rock, and equally powerful lyrical messages. The duo are currently gearing up for the release of new album BEAR, which marks not only a welcome return for the Nashville outfit, but also their debut release as part of Magnetic Eye Records.
Themes of finding your ‘place’ – however that looks for you – are central to the record, with BEAR’s ten tracks acting as a means for songwriter Buick Audra (who handles guitar and vocal duties) to explore ‘the ever-elusive idea of belonging – where it occurs, and where it absolutely does not’. Arranged and performed alongside Jerry Roe, who completes the duo’s deceptively full sound with his excellent bass and drum work, BEAR promises a shifting landscape of tones and dynamics, something already witnessed on previous dual single “KEEPING SCORE / MELT”. Today, we are delighted to continue the duets of distortion with not just one new song, but another double whammy of musical dichotomy of heavy and light from Friendship Commanders: “X / MIDHEAVEN”.
According to Audra, “X” is rooted firmly as an homage to the generations involved in her upbringing – ‘a loving send-up to that lost generation…to honor some of the artists who raised us creatively…’ The anchored, grooving riff that dances around the bass-laden rhythms serves as a fitting backdrop to Audra’s lyrics. They verbalise an appreciation for the formative experiences of earlier days, with its calls of ‘I remember learning what the world was/Before it beat me up/I remember something in the water/And I swallowed every cup’. It’s a sentiment that many will likely resonate with as they pummel your ears. Modern-day social media serves primarily to divide us, and while generational differences are numerous, remembering the ways in which we can (and should) acknowledge one another’s better qualities is also crucial.
Notably, “X” is also grounded in grief, having been written fewer than six weeks after the sad passing of the band’s friend and collaborator Steve Albini. Audra ‘was grieving, but I was also watching a generation grieve in ways I’d observed my whole life – stoically, strongly, sentimentally, and somewhat individually’. “X” and its accompanying visuals above serve as a tribute to Albini and other creatives like him: the video offers a clear nod to the quasi-serious music videos associated with the high tides of grunge. Roe considers it ‘such a particular mood of the era that no one has captured since. It was the best time for the medium of music videos honestly, and it was a lot of fun to try and channel it. I find it moving to watch in a way that surprises me’. The video heightens the reminiscent feel with a vibrant, slow-motion portion that mirrors a half-time shift, seemingly reducing the passing moments of the song to a glacial pace – perhaps in order to let us soak in the nostalgia and fondly remember formative instances and individuals of our own.
By comparison to the somewhat wistful and contemplative gratitude held within the riffs of “X”, “MIDHEAVEN” is a crushing juggernaut that furiously pounds out its relentless noise with a truly expansive feel. Lyrically, Audra penned it from a similarly introspective space to many of the band’s songs:
‘…it gets into the idea of being born under a certain set of stars, and whether or not that has anything to do with who we are. As a person who feels like a lifelong misfit with a nature I can’t seem to change, I’m curious about where that starts. Is it written from the start? I’m willing to believe anything at this point. Some days, it’s tempting to blame it all on the sky.’
‘Wild’ is also a fitting term for the energy levels that flood forth on “MIDHEAVEN”. From the very offset, Roe blasts at the kit and we are treated to a melting pot of meaty guitar passages and towering vocals that thunder along without relent. Roe particularly revels in the fact that ‘large portions of this track are just the two of us ripping at each other and it’s an absolute blast to listen to and play’. That said, there are still surprisingly sweetened, uplifting moments within the chaos: close vocal harmonies and a sprawling bridge section build up to a fittingly raucous end, as Audra’s voice soars atop instrumentals whose force defies the band’s modest membership.
Ultimately, both of these tracks speak to the broader picture of identity and empowerment painted across BEAR. Combining fantastic, tight-knit musicianship and impassioned lyricism, these two songs seem characteristic of a record that promises to be another bold and relatable outing for Friendship Commanders, who look set to press onwards – unrestricted, untethered, unstoppable. As “MIDHEAVEN” puts it:
‘No one tells you what your role will be
No one tells you the trajectory
You are born and you die with the stars in the sky
And somewhere in between you are free’
BEAR will be released on October 10 through Magnetic Eye Records. The singles featured above can be found here and the full album can be pre-ordered at the various links available here, depending on your platform of preference. Friendship Commanders also have a wealth of social links for you to check out, including their official website, Facebook, and Instagram.
Artist photo: Jamie Goodsell
