SINGLE REVIEW: Friendship Commanders - High Sun
The latest single 'High Sun' from Nashville's Friendship Commanders sees the band take a step away from their usual doomy, heavy sound to try their hand at something more shoegaze/grunge.
'High Sun' struck out at me from the first play. Think Madder Rose, Belly, and Alice in Chains with hints of My Bloody Valentine's disordinance. The track is epic and evokes dramatic feelings of pain and turmoil, a rumbling sense of confusion.
Bold, emotional vocals sit atop distorted fuzzed-out guitars with pummelling drums and a gritty bassline. 'High Sun' is intense, and captivating with early 90's vibes.
The lyrics take a look at a time in singer Buick's life when she moved away from Boston carrying an enormous amount of shame after facing high-impact moments that had left her feeling like an outcast in her former community. A toxic relationship caused her to believe she was the problem, absorbing all the blame. Stepping back away from her old life she could see the manipulation, the way those in the wrong deflected the blame onto her. The deeply personal nature of 'High Sun' words are apparent in their delivery, you can hear in Buick's voice how much the song means and how much relief she feels in finally being able to make herself heard.
'High Sun' is impactful in its own right but when you delve into the story behind it it becomes so much more. Feelings of frustration flow, and I found myself sharing in Buick's pain and being dragged deeper into the intensity of the track.
'High Sun' is a stunning example of fuzzed-out grunge, melodic but distorted, it's a track epic in every way.
