American heavy rock duo Friendship Commanders release new single and music video »Still Life«; new album »Mass« out September 29th!

Nashville, Tennessee based heavy rock duo Friendship Commanders share new single and music video »Still Life« taken from their upcoming album, »Mass«, set to release on September 29th, 2023.

Tracklist:
01. Blue
02. Fail
03. High Sun
04. Vampire
05. Still Life
06. We Were Here
07. Distortion
08. A Retraction
09. Move
10. Dissonance

Produced by Friendship Commanders & Kurt Ballou.
Recorded and mixed by Kurt Ballou at GodCity, Salem MA.
Mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege.

Courtesy of Clarion Call Media:

“Consisting of singer-guitarist Buick Audra and drummer-bassist Jerry Roe (who’s also an in-demand session player with credits on a ton of country projects), Friendship Commanders nod to the sludgy, stoner-metal sensibilities of Kyuss and Sleep in their thundering anthem about injustices. Singer Audra’s ethereal delivery is more otherworldly and haunted than lacerating – an approach she favors on Friendship Commanders’ other releases” – Rolling Stone

“Buick Audra’s riffs carry the weight of doom and sludge metal, but her crystal-clear, melodic singing is as approachable as anything on ’90s alt-rock radio.” – Brooklyn Vegan

“Friendship Commanders needs to be much bigger than it is right now.” – Metal Injection

“This Nashville duo marries gritty fuzz and weighty rhythms with a glittering melody on “Blue” that is somehow bringing together all of the love and despair in my memories and inviting them to share the same space.” – CVLT Nation

“Co-produced by Kurt Ballou – a byword for gloriously filthy tones – this three-and-a-half minute riff blast from the Nashville heavy duo melds the worlds of ’90s grunge and contemporary sludge-metal in seamless, devastating fashion.” – Guitar World on »Fail«

Photo by Anna Haas

Nashville heavy duo Friendship Commanders present »Still Life« the latest single and video to be released from their forthcoming album, »Mass«, out September 29 (pre-order). »Still Life« debuted at Thoughts Words Action and is on all digital platforms now for any playlist shares.

The project is a concept record about memory, language, and the state of Massachusetts, a place where songwriter/guitarist/vocalist Buick Audra spent time as an adolescent and younger adult. The album outlines the story of leaving a place after becoming a social outcast, after failing to conform. The singles are revealing the details of that narrative one song at a time. »Still Life« echoes what Buick was told when she spoke up about the imbalances she witnessed and experienced firsthand right within the Boston music community.

On »Still Life« Buick Audra says: “Writing »Still Life« was almost like a fever dream. At first, I wasn’t even sure what the words meant, but then I realized they were a compilation of things people in Boston had said to me at one point or another or modeled in their non-response. Substance use problems were invisible unless they needed to be used to explain someone’stransgressions, verbal or physical. Said transgressions were never addressed, people were not held accountable, and raising any issues was seen as unpleasant, or even rude. Meanwhile, my own injuries? I was essentially told to ‘walk them off,’ and to do so quietly. It was like a time without any language around mental health, boundaries, or shades of grey. The urgency of the music reflects how moving through those
expectations felt.”

»Still Life« follows the album’s recent pre-release singles »Vampire« and »High Sun« which are on all streaming platforms now. »High Sun«, describes the process of becoming a scapegoat while »Vampire« sets a boundary with those who took more than they gave, and who preyed on the vulnerabilities of others to boost their own outsized egos.

Guitarist/vocalist Buick Audra and drummer/bassist Jerry Roe co-produced »Mass« with Kurt Ballou (Converge), who recorded and mixed at his GodCity studio in Salem, Massachusetts. This decision was intentional, and the product bears the impact of the in-person collaboration, sonically and energetically. This project marks their third year of working with Ballou who has mixed everything they’ve released since their 2020 EP, »Hold On To Yourself«. »Mass« will be accompanied by a memoir in essays by Buick Audra.

Friendship Commanders will be making the following North American appearances this fall. Tickets for all upcoming shows can be found HERE.

Friendship Commanders Tour Dates:
10.01 – Gainesville, GA @ Blackstrap Rock Hall
10.05 – Asheville, NC @ The Odd
10.06 – Raleigh, NC @ Ruby Deluxe
10.07 – Richmond, VA @ Get Tight Lounge
10.08 – Charleston, SC @ Tin Roof
10.11 – Philadelphia, PA @ Century
10.12 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Squirrel Hill Sports Bar
10.13 – Baltimore, MD @ The Undercroft
10.14 – West Akron, OH @ Buzzbin
10.15 – Kalamazoo, MI @ The Run Off
10.20 – Catskill, NY @ The Avalon Lounge
10.21 – Allston, MA @ O’Brien’s
10.23 – Detroit, MI @ The Old Miami
10.25 – Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s
11.01 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The DLC
11.02 – Reno, NV @ Alturas Bar
11.03 – Portland, OR @ Azoth Space
11.04 – Vancouver, BC @ Black Lab
11.05 – Seattle, WA @ Funhouse
11.08 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill
11.10 – Long Beach, CA @ Supply & Demand
11.11 – Palmdale, CA @ Transplants Brewing Co.
11.12 – San Diego, CA @ Til-Two Club
11.14 – Santa Fe, NM @ Tumbleroot
11.15 – Tempe, AZ @ Yucca Tap Room
11.17 – Houston, TX @ Kickback Bar
11.25 – Youngstown, OH @ Westside Bowl

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well