Falsely Accused raise a glass to life’s shared battles with ‘A Drink Before the War’

New England alt-rock band serves up a soaring new single about the partnerships that bind us on Friday, September 20

Performing live at Thirsty First in Lowell on September 20

BOSTON, Mass. [September 20, 2024] – When it comes time to engage in all of life’s various battles, the riffs must get heavier. So as Falsely Accused prepare to enter a new era, the New England alternative rock band dials up an adrenalized urgency with “A Drink Before the War,” a powderkeg of a new single set for release on Friday, September 20.

The riff-fueled track arrives the day the power trio performs live at Thirty First in Lowell, and begins a series of new releases that lead to a new EP arriving in early 2025. “A Drink Before the War,” Falsely Accused’s first new music since 2021 debut album Compression and the following year’s holiday single “Northbound (For Christmas),” takes its title from Dennis Lehane’s 1994 crime novel of the same name, and is a rallying cry for those we do battle with as we go through our daily lives.      

“I think about ‘A Drink Before the War’ as a love song,” admits vocalist and bassist Matt Tavano. “I wrote the words for my wife. It’s about finding the person you’re going to spend your life with and then fighting life’s battles together. Sometimes I’ve found that before we’ve had to do a hard thing together, it’s good to take a moment, gather our collective strength, and then get after it. A quiet moment before the fight. I think every couple has had those moments.” 

It can be said that Falsely Accused are in the midst of one of those moments, as “A Drink Before the War” heralds a new sound for the band, rounded out by Mike Azzolino on drums, percussion, and backup vocals; and Mark Young on guitar and backup vocals. 

Where Compression found the band leaning into more swamp blues territory, the new single embraces a low-end dirge of explosive heaviness, allowing the hard rock influences to stretch out across a post-grunge and power-riff landscape without ever spiraling out of control. 

“A Drink Before the War” starts with a lo-fi riff over the crackling sound of vinyl – an intended calm before the storm, as Tavano alludes to in explaining the lyrics – leading to an emerging wall of sound that delivers the listener deep into Falsely Accused’s calculated musical world. The result is a hypnotic swirl of noise that glides with confidence and propulsion out of the speakers, with Tavano’s lyrical delivery coming off as a sort of cautionary tale from a person who has seen what the battle ahead entails. 

Written and performed by Falsely Accused, “A Drink Before the War” was recorded and engineered by Steve Aliperta at Kennedy Studios in Burlington, Massachusetts, and mastered by Dominik Honold at Germany’s Protonaut Studios. 

“It shows an intentional evolution of sound,” says Tavano. “As we write more music together, we continue to push each other outside our respective comfort zones. Each one of the songs on this EP required all of us to take a leap of faith and trust the process. For me, that was this song. We’re thrilled with the final result.” 

And like most rock and roll songs, “A Drink Before the War” was born from a riff. Young brought the intro riff to the band during a recent writing spree, and the song was built and structured from there. It quickly represented a sonic shift for the trio, which formed just before the pandemic as Young finalized the lineup after Tavano and Azzolino were looking for a fresh start after a previous project faded out. 

With new music fast on the way, including another new single next month and the aforementioned EP arriving in the New Year, it made sense that “A Drink Before the War” acted like a reintroduction for the trio, which continues to hone its craft on live stages across the New England area.   

“It just hits hard,” Tavano says of the track. “Because it sounds different from the last record, and is musically powerful, we thought it would be a good offering for the new EP. We wanted to show that we weren’t making the same record over again.”  

And that doesn’t mean the band is steering the creative direction into any specific musical landscape. For Falsely Accused, the vision is to simply create the music they are collectively keen on creating, experimenting with each of their individual talents and interests to create a cocktail that is entirely their own. 

And right now, that cocktail is served with intent as “A Drink Before the War.” 

“As a ground rule, we want to make music we love rather than chase a specific sound,” Tavano concludes. “We each have come to work with ideas and influences to share. But what comes out of those thoughts and ideas is something that is distinctly us.” 

Falsely Accused is:

Mike Azzolino: Drums, percussion, and backup vocals 

Matt Tavano: Bass and lead vocals  

Mark Young: Guitar and backup vocals

‘A Drink Before the War’ production credits:

Written and performed by Falsely Accused

Recorded and Engineered by Steve Aliperta at Kennedy Studios in Burlington, MA

Mastered by Dominik Honold at Protonaut Studios in Erkelenz, Germany

‘A Drink Before the War’ single artwork:

Falsely Accused short bio:

Falsely Accused is an emerging alternative rock band in the Boston and greater New England area. The trio’s evolving style encompasses the energy of classic and modern rock and roll bands from Jimi Hendrix to The Black Keys, with a cultivated sound that is richly unique and entirely their own. Falsely Accused cite influences that range from early swamp blues and the edgier genres of hard rock to the life and lessons that surround them each and every day. The power trio consists of Mike Azzolino on drums and percussion and backup vocals; Matt Tavano on bass and lead vocals; and Mark Young on guitars and backup vocals. Debut album Compression arrived in 2021, followed by a holiday single the following year. A new single titled “A Drink Before the War” is due out in September 2024, with more new music to soon follow. 

Media praise for Falsely Accused:

“...a journey through the history of Fuzz-powered riff-Rock.” _Static Dive

“Falsely Accused is much more on the real gritty side of the heavy rock sound… Black Keys & such… a lil’ Zeppelin sprinkled in… some Queens, some Kyuss…that kinda vibe. For a debut, [Compression] is all-out spectacular…these guys are onto something significant with their band, sound, and style.” _Sleeping Bag Studios 

“A single that acts as a transformative piece on the album, ‘Stay Gold’ is a brilliant shift from the caustic sounds of ‘Hellbound’ and ‘The Messenger’, delivering in their place a more expressive alt-rock and neo-blues sound. It’s a gorgeous piece of modern artistry, offering a unique glimpse into the band’s timeless inspirations, while also showcasing their own brilliant talents.” _Broken 8 Records

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