Friendship Commanders share new single and video "VAMPIRE"
New album MASS, co-produced by Kurt Ballou (Converge) out September 29
Fall Tour Dates Announced
Nashville heavy duo Friendship Commanders present "VAMPIRE," the latest single and video to be released from their forthcoming album, MASS, out September 29 (pre-order). "VAMPIRE" debuted today at Decibel and will be on all digital platforms on Friday (pre-save). Friendship Commanders Jerry Roe and Buick Audra directed the video for "VAMPIRE"; Jerry Roe shot and edited it.
On the video Buick Audra says:
“Because 'VAMPIRE' is a sludgy metal song with R&B-leaning vocals, we played with visuals that combined those two ideas. I’m a huge R&B fan, so it was fun to step into that mode for a bit, fun to have the gloss and sparkle in one of our projects. 'VAMPIRE' tells the story of someone trying to take on parts of my identity, a toxic person who attempted to blur the line between herself and me. My lifelong love of that music was one of the many things she adopted as her own—and then competed with me for years—all while trying to control me, my body, and my creative output. The vampires added additional lightness, playing up the whole bloodsucker thing. Where there once was trauma and confusion, we made it danceable, with fangs and robes. We had a blast.”
MASS 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. While the album's third single “High Sun,” describes the process of becoming a scapegoat; “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 are pleased to present “Vampire,” a loud boundary song for the ages.
Friendship Commanders will be making the following North American appearances this summer and fall. Tickets for all upcoming shows can be found HERE.
“‘Vampire’ is another wonderfully fuzzy, grunge-fueled, gritty soundscape. Cathartic, emotional, and unwavering in its openness and vulnerability. Friendship Commanders are some of the most exciting new talents I’ve heard this year.”
