TELL confront the increasing futility of existence with ‘Sweet Proximity’
Boston alt-rock band unleash the dramatic sound of things falling apart through a fiery new single out Friday, March 14
NOW PLAYING: Listen to ‘Sweet Proximity’ on Spotify
TELL perform live at The Warp & Weft in Lowell on Friday, March 14
Companion single and new music video ‘Boiling The Ocean’ due out in April
BOSTON, Mass. [March 14, 2025] – “How much more patient can I be?”
It’s a question we’ve asked ourselves quite a bit lately – sitting in the car stuck in rush hour traffic; waiting in line at the post office or grocery store; or simply doomscrolling the night away, thinking about how society requests a certain grace of us that’s rarely ever returned.
And when David Wildman offers up the refrain with a weathered, weary snarl, as he does in TELL’s driving new single “Sweet Proximity,” we’re reminded that life is not about naively adhering to a broken social contract, but what we’re ready to do when “the futility of existence,” as drummer Patrick Crann puts it, is simply too much to ignore.
Because if we’re not already there, we soon may be, either today, tomorrow, or Friday, March 14, when the gritty Boston alt-rock band unleashes this incendiary new single to the streams. “Sweet Proximity” kickstarts both a new year and a new fire for TELL, marking the first of two releases that set up a new music video in April for the single’s companion track, “Boiling The Ocean.”
The band celebrates the unveiling of “Sweet Proximity” and this new era of music with a release show that same night at Warp & Welt in Lowell, before playing The Square Root in Roslindale on May 9. And the live shows are notable, because what we need more than ever is a human connection to help cut through the stress of the day.
“‘Sweet Proximity’ was originally about the frustration of desiring a connection beyond a face on a computer screen,” Wildman admits. “I’m a fiction writer, so I tend to create characters to make a point. There are three scenarios presented: A stunt driver on a closed track, which represents isolation from himself and the world that he entertains for a living; a guy who loves the lonely girl next door, but neither of them can escape the barriers they put up; and a test pilot crashing into the Earth.”
There, those characters' storylines unfold with a grand cinematic tension. But where TELL’s 2024 EP Life In Reverse was revved-up and polished, these new tracks, recorded and mixed by Benny Grotto at Mad Oak Studios in Allston, bring a new kind of demented ferocity. As such, “Sweet Proximity” roars out of the speakers, immediately grabs the attention of the listener, and attacks his, her, or their ears like a musical icepick.
“‘Sweet Proximity’ manifests the band's intense feelings about the current global situation; it's the drastic sound of things falling apart,” says guitarist Jim Foster, who unleashes one of the grimiest guitar solos to come out of the Boston scene in some time. “It might be an unhinged, disjointed fit somewhat resembling a muscle spasm or near-fatal conniption, but you can definitely dance to it.”
And outspoken heroes like Gang of Four and Richard Hell and the Voidoids might have something to do with that. TELL’s sound – completed by Wildman on vocals and guitars with guitarist Foster, bassist Jay Raffi, and drummer Crann – has always bridged a gap between arena-ready ‘90s-era alternative and the dire post-punk sound of the late-’70s, and this one straddles the same line without truly flying off the rails. It barrels through its 4:30 runtime with a punk rock ethos and a prog rock mindfulness.
“I had originally written it as a haunting, slow thing, but I turned it into a strummy pop song,” Wildman admits. “When we first tried it with the band, Jay poignantly asked if this was really what I wanted to do. I realized it sounded too ordinary, so I took a week and made the rhythm aggressive and sharp and simplified the chords, going for more of a Gang of Four approach. This inspired Jim to come up with a great dissonant part inspired by his hero Robert Quine from Richard Hell and the Voidoids. We quickly had something that sounded unique.”
The single finds TELL going for a more raw, aggressive approach, but without losing the tidal hooks and melodies that quickly defined the band after forming a few years back. Now with a solidified lineup and a creative chemistry that’s developed a newfound cohesion, the quartet is leaning into darker, heavier territory without losing its original activist identity or musical ideology. Each member of TELL attribute that – as well as the expansive, unique sound that is quickly becoming a defining characteristic – to the open-ended collaborations during writing and recording sessions.
Whether the punchy “Sweet Proximity” or the dramatic “Boiling The Ocean,” each reflects the uneasy tension that is suffocating our daily lives in this miserable and contentious 2025. It’s the sound in our heads when we’re trapped in public, wondering quietly how much more patience is needed to get through the damn day.
“Both are about frustration with this insane world we find ourselves in,” Wildman admits. “‘Sweet Proximity’ is more the physical side of connection, and ‘Boiling the Ocean’ is about the artistic. It’s my fuck you to the Internet, that makes everything possible and impossible at the same time. The term ‘boiling the ocean’ is from the business world, and means doing the absolutely most extreme possible thing to succeed at something. The song is saying the internet is paradoxically facilitating and standing in the way of communicating our music, so let's burn the thing down. So it's all about the frustrations of connecting in this present environment, because in order to do it, you have to bend yourself to fit the medium.”
Yet, through it all, there seems to be hope. And if there is no hope, then at least there is a resistance. And for TELL, and other like-minded bands making noise in 2025, it’s fueled by piss, vinegar, and a riff.
“I think there is a rock renaissance in progress,” Wildman concludes. “This is a Margaret Thatcher-ruining-England level of trauma we’re experiencing. Trump and Musk have taken over in what was basically a (barely) legal coup, and it has ignited a wave of rage not seen in years, translating into important and meaningful music being made all over -- and mostly under the radar so far. We’re proud to be part of that. We’re also interested in putting together a resistance night somewhere with like-minded bands. Stay tuned.”
TELL is:
David Wildman: Guitar and lead vocals
Jay Raffi: Bass and vocals
Patrick Crann: Drums
Jim Foster: Guitar and vocals
‘Sweet Proximity’ artwork:
Illustration by Morrison Digital Art
Designed by J. Kaliontzis
‘Sweet Proximity’ production credits:
Written by David Wildman and arranged by TELL
Produced and mixed by Benny Grotto at Mad Oak Studios in Allston, MA
Single artwork illustration by Morrison Digital Art
Single artwork designed by J. Kaliontzis
TELL press photo by Dan Saltzman
Media praise for TELL:
“Oh man, check this song out…I love this — immediate love. It’s pretty edgy.” _Carmelita on Bay State Rock
“Awesome band called TELL with their stunning new track.” _Isaac Banks on Banks Radio Australia
“TELL’s Life In Reverse runs at around 24 minutes so there’s no excuse not to give it an hour and play it twice. An interesting listen that has some catchy melodic tunes with thought provoking and at times ironic lyrics.” _Maximum Volume Music
“TELL just sounds like a Boston band… The new single sounds like a smorgasbord of Boston rock. It starts off with a more gritty, early 80's scene sound. It’s that sound that came after punk, but before the more experimental post punk sound started. From there, “Owned” moves through 80's New Wave and 90's power pop. It does all of this while still sounding like the same song throughout its sonic transformations. …TELL are the kind of band that is going to hit a nostalgia button if you were involved in the Boston music scene at any point in the previous century.” _If It’s Too Loud
“‘Sweet Life’ is instantly an ageless classic tapping into the earnestness of Pearl Jam and Paul Westerberg or Ruin The Nite and The Cars if you wanna stay local with Wildman’s words spilling out like poetry on a track that really captures that “Boston sound” especially when you get to the catchy, big chorus.” _Rock and Roll Fables
“If anything, the music on Life In Reverse reminds me of the post 'Hunky Dory' and pre-'Young Americans' David Bowie. A giveaway is partly the way Wildman sings but also a little in the music. TELL's rock has that dragging in its vibe, as if things go slower musically than they really are. The album opens with 'Owned' though and enter The Kinks from 1980. …'Owned' is a great song in its own right. Guitars are all over the place and still a piano can take a short shining role in an interlude. The tight rhythm and chugging bass are the finishing touches to which the singing can start shining.” _WoNoBlog
“There is nothing quite like an amazing rock record… Every song has an authenticity and an energy that draws not from the past but also offers a new vibe and sound that is welcomed in today’s otherwise mundane musical landscape.” _The Whole Kameese
“Quiet visionaries in the footsteps of Television, melding new wave/punk and art-rock with virtuosity and detail.” _Ted Drozdowski in Premier Guitar Magazine
“Timeless riffs and steady backbeats open up to anthemic arena-ready choruses.” _Graeme Bentley, Music Director, Boston's 92.5 The River
“If you’re a first-class songwriter, being shut down just might wind up turning you loose. David Wildman has written his share of gems over the years, often in bands that deserved way more attention than they got. His new band TELL refines the moody yet pop-centric approach he’s had all along. …But the real news here is Wildman’s flair for storytelling: The songs here present characters who are a little offbeat, sometimes flawed but always recognizable, all making their way through a desperate era. It’s a lot like real life in these times, only catchier.” _Boston music writer Brett Milano
“TELL is a fierce guitar-driven rock n roll pop trio (both raucous and meticulous). Their first full album. Stir Crazy, has 9 big songs, sharp production with unexpected chord changes that burst into wide screen choruses. TELL is a good name for the band as Wildman is a writer/author (I loved his hard-edged movie reviews in The Dig), so his clear as day lyrics have that ring of observational truth. As a ref, I’d say The Kinks, Ian Hunter come to mind. The claustrophobia of the shut in threads through the record and has ya wanting to see the band live.” _Boston music scene veteran Rick Berlin
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