FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS - Video 'X' & Single 'Midheaven'
American heavy duo FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS unveil the new video clip 'X' as one part of the two-track advance single together with the audio track 'MIDHEAVEN', both of which are taken from their forthcoming album: "BEAR" that is scheduled for release on October 10, 2025, via Magnetic Eye Records.
The pre-order is available here: http://lnk.spkr.media/friendshipcommanders-bear
Buick Audra wrote 'X' in June 2024, a few weeks weeks after the passing of their friend and collaborator Steve Albini: "I was grieving, but I was also watching a generation grieve in ways that I'd observed my whole life – stoically, strongly, sentimentally, and somewhat individually", the guitarist, vocalist and songwriter states. "This song is a loving send-up to that lost generation. We wanted the track and visuals to honor some of the artists who raised us creatively, including Steve. The camera I'm holding in the second verse was his. Very moving to have and include it here. He was a young Boomer, but the absolute King of Gen X – missed and loved."
Audra continues: "'MIDHEAVEN' goes wider; it gets into this 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."
Watch the video for 'X' here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2jdyWm3Mcw
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS write about the video clip: "I wanted the video to have the vibe and look of those by our favorite bands from the Gen X Grunge era while still being its own thing, so it's lit, shot and performed in a way that honors that spirit without aping anything too closely – hopefully!", drummer and bass player Jerry Roe reveals. "Everyone wanted to appear tough and cool while also not seeming to take what they were doing too seriously. There's 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."
Listen to 'MIDHEAVEN' here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU6k5JkgUio
Like their earlier dual single, 'KEEPING SCORE' & 'MELT', 'X' & 'MIDHEAVEN' showcase juxtaposing ends of "BEAR"'s sonic spectrum: one being heavy, the other being lighter – while both are intimately connected through addressing questions about identity and influence.
Tracklist:
1. KEEPING SCORE
2. DRAIN
3. DRIPPING SILVER
4. MELT
5. NEW
6. X
7. MIDHEAVEN
8. IMPERFECT
9. FOUND
10. DEAD & DISCARDED GIRLS
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS are not just any band within the wider musical cosmos of heavy rock and stoner metal. Artistic excellence, reflected in the two Grammy wins of singer, songwriter, and guitarist Buick Audra as well as the status of drummer and bass player Jerry Roe as one of the most sought after studio percussionists, paired with outstanding lyrical intelligence have once again flown together organically to shape their forthcoming album "BEAR".
"BEAR" was written around the realisation that Buick Audra had essentially been kicked out of womanhood. This album is a documentation of her awareness also while cataloguing other areas of human connection: art, outsider culture, and dark rock venues – all places where empathy and creativity grow wild. Audra and Jerry Roe arranged and performed the fourth full-length of FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERSalbum to have two sides to it, musically: heavy and light, salt and sugar, fire and air, and lost and found.
Although hailing from Nashville, Tennessee these denizens of the 'Music City' kindly beg to differ. FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS' sound draws from sludge, doom, heavy metal, and grunge with roots in punk and hardcore, among other guitar driven styles.
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS were originally conceived as a side project by the two industry veterans Buick Audra and Jerry Roe, whose accolades have already been mentioned above. When the duo found common ground, they were able to bring all their combined musical excellence, perspectives, precision, and power to their new band.
Their early works, the EPs "GARFIELD" (2015) and "JUNEBUG" (2017) as well as the debut full-length "AVE" (2016) were all self-recorded as well as self-produced in their own studio, Fort Knockout, and supported live with regional tours.
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS' sophomore album 'BILL' (2018) was co-produced by the band with Steve Albini and engineered at his Chicago studio, Electrical Audio. Working with Albini proved a pivotal experience for the duo, both personally and professionally. "BILL" reached a notably larger audience and allowed national touring. Following Albini's passing in 2024, the band released his original analogue mixes of the project, "BILL- The Steve Albini Mixes".
Although the duo's members maintained other ventures, FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS had developed into a focal endeavour for them both. Their again self-produced 2020 EP, "HOLD ON TO YOURSELF", was the beginning of their by now years-long collaboration with Kurt Ballou, who mixed the record. He also mixed their self-produced pandemic-era singles "STONECHILD/ YOUR REIGN IS OVER" (2020), "ALTAR / LAND OF MEN" (2021), and "AND IF MY BODY" (2022). These were later compiled on a limited vinyl release entitled "RELEASE OF THE REST" (2022). The singles also marked a departure from the duo's previous punk and hardcore leanings while introducing a heavier, sludgier sensibility.
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS recorded and co-produced their third album "MASS" again with Ballou at his GodCity Studio in Salem, MA. Audra recorded and produced her vocals at her Nashville studio, and Ballou then mixed the tracks. With "MASS" (2023), a concept album about memory, language, and the state of Massachusetts, the duo took the important next step of reaching a global audience.
"BEAR" was again co-produced by band members Buick Audra and Jerry Roe. The duo returned to Salem to work along once more with their longtime collaborator, Kurt Ballou, who also tracked the instrumental performances and mixed the record. As a result, the songs with a huge range of musical ideas and expressions are unified in sound as well as in theme, which runs throughout the record in various ways: the ever-elusive idea of belonging, where it occurs, and where it absolutely does not.
With "BEAR", FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS present a rare sparkling gem of an album, heavy yet captivating, shiny yet dark, and songs that brim with important meaning. "BEAR" is easy to get into, but beware, this album will draw its listeners into fascinating and thought-provoking depths!
Video credits
Video directed & edited by Jerry Roe
Video shot by Jarad Clement
Line-up
Buick Audra – songs, guitar, vocals, co-producer
Jerry Roe – drums, percussion, bass, synths, co-producer
Produced by Friendship Commanders & Kurt Ballou
Recorded by Kurt Ballou at GodCity, Salem, MA (US)
Vocal recording by Buick Audra at Fort Knockout, Nashville, TN (US)
Additional engineering by Jerry Roe at Fort Knockout, Nashville, TN (US)
Assistant engineering by Zach Weeks at GodCity, Salem, MA (US)
Mixed by Kurt Ballou at GodCity, Salem, MA (US)
Mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege, Portland, OR (US)
Cover artwork by Jerry Roe & Buick Audra
Layout by Buick Audra & Keith Brogdon
Links
https://www.friendshipcommandersband.com
https://www.facebook.com/friendshipcommanders
https://www.instagram.com/friendshipcommanders
Quelle: ALL NOIR