TELL shifts its cinematic alt-rock into overdrive with ‘Life In Reverse’
Boston band led by David Wildman unleashes gritty sophomore album,
featuring fiery new single ‘Owned’, on Friday, February 9
Record release party goes down at The Middle East in Cambridge on February 9
BOSTON, Mass. [February 9, 2024] – At a time where most new bands try to appeal to as wide a potential fan base as possible, TELL knows its new album Life In Reverse may not be for everyone. And to the Boston quartet led by longtime musician, writer, and novelist David Wildman, that’s perfectly alright.
Because while it may not appeal to everyone, it technically is about everyone. TELL’s sophomore record, set for release on Friday, February 9 with a release party that night at The Middle East in Cambridge, serves as a cathartic release of pent-up tension by harnessing the headlines that dominate our newsfeed and filtering them though cinematic, anthemic, and highly-memorable alternative rock. It’s both confrontational and comforting, and underneath its gritty bark is a collection of six shimmering tracks that glow out of the speakers, and may even inspire a dance party.
And so while Life In Reverse is technically TELL’s second album, following 2021’s COVID-inspired, pandemic-born Stir Crazy, it does act as a sort of coming out party for the band with a lot to say and little regard for how it’s received by many in our increasingly divided country.
“Lyrically, the album is awash in the experience we all have of living through these dark, weird times together, connected mostly through social media,” says Wildman. “It’s nearly impossible to avoid politics for me, so a number of the songs make reference to the cult-like mindset of a huge chunk of the population out there.”
While their debut Stir Crazy was created in the era of social distancing, with vocalist and guitarist Wildman and bassist and vocalist Jay Raffi writing, recording, and collaborating remotely, Life In Reverse was crafted by the band in the studio with producer Benny Grotto of Mad Oak Studios in Allston, MA. Former drummer Chuck Ferriera and guitarist Ken Rothman were rounded out by new guitarist Jim Foster on guitar and vocals (Patrick Crann on drums has since replaced Ferriera). The result is a strong sense of chemistry and a newfound spark in the band’s musical and lyrical voice.
Nowhere is that spark more apparent than on “Owned,” Life In Reverse’s inspired opening track and lead single. It’s an infectious draw into the world of TELL, soaked in modern rock knowhow and whip smart lyricism that would be a commercial radio hit on alt-rock stations across the FM dial – if alt-rock stations still existed on the FM dial. And it contains a wholly relatable tale that many of us have dealt with over the past few years.
“‘Owned’ opens the record with the story of how someone becomes wrapped up and dominated by a cult of one,” Wildman explains. “It could be MAGA, or Jonestown, or just anyone that gives themselves completely to someone with a stronger personality than them, like a dominating spouse. In the end the protagonist comes to the conclusion that he was happier that way. It rocks hard and you can dance to it! And the chorus is wide open catharsis as the singer rails against his own nature, ‘You were wrong, I will not be yours again.’”
That sense of defiance, inward and outward, is awash across the Life In Reverse lyrical spectrum, as Wildman embraces the news of the day, as harrowing as it may be, and crafts a storytelling narrative that often belies the music’s upbeat and propulsive nature, touching down everywhere from indie to post-punk to prog and whatever else.
“We’re probably going to piss off MAGA types with songs like ‘Sweet Life’, about a friend who threw away their life believing lies and drinking Ivermectin, and ‘Shotgun Future’, a funky, weirdly atmospheric Gang of Four-inspired number that shows off Jay’s wild bass stylings that worship at the altar of Larry Graham. In it, a teacher tells kids they are welcome to bring their guns to school, unless they are ‘gay or trans or black’, leading to a school shooting of a different kind. There’s a song about the disturbing modern isolation from each other that has become a way of life for us, called ‘Shell’. Then we get to ‘I Wish I Could Believe in God’, my honest personal statement about a morbid fear of death and how I really envy those that have been able to convince themselves it’s going to be something great.”
It's in that track, “I Wish I Could Believe in God,” where the album gets its title, a shortening of the lyric “death is just life in reverse.” And Wildman understands how that may be perceived, too.
“I’m sure that might put some people off as well, although there are a lot that might agree,” he notes. “But like a lot of these songs, it’s solid and compelling, you can dance to it, and sing the chorus. The rhythm is wild and herky jerky. The closing ‘Space Time Continuum’ takes this to the extreme, where the protagonist confronts ‘the only thing that will survive’ with Randy Newman-inspired sardonic humor. The music goes full on spaced-out Pink Floyd with a touch of Neil Young in the chorus.”
In fact, Dark Side of the Moon could be considered a touchstone on how the varied songs on Life In Reverse hang together as a cohesive unit about the crazy mysteries of life we’re all facing each and every day.
“For all these songs there is a musical theme that goes with the lyrical one,” Wildman adds. “There is always aggression and tension in the taut, intertwined guitars of the verses often playing quirky melodies against each other. We made a rule about making the songs strum-free zones, which opens up space enough for both guitars as well as Jay’s startlingly original bass work as well. Then when the choruses hit it breaks out into cinematic hooks with music and vocals reaching for the heights of emotion. The addition of guitarist Jim Foster really added to the sonic pallet, and helped shape this newer, more aggressive sound.”
That’s certainly not to say TELL made a punk album. They simply created the album that they were set to make right now, in this sometimes blessed, often cursed 2024, as we head towards another presidential election and do our best to confront the chaos that seems to consume each day that passes. Life In Reverse may possess heavy lyrical themes, but its gritty sound is often euphoric. The sound of TELL has been evolving since the band’s inception; this latest chapter is where TELL stands, collectively and creatively, in the right here, right now.
“I try to write as little as possible, just chords or a riff, and then a chorus and maybe a bridge, so that the boys can dig in with both hands and create,” Wildman concludes. “Jay always comes up with something that takes the song in a direction I hadn’t expected, Jim is a fountain of interesting melodies, and with our new drummer Pat adding some mayhem, and well-timed textured beats, we think we’re onto something pretty cool.”
Of course, that may depend on whom you ask.
TELL is:
David Wildman: Guitar and lead vocals
Jay Raffi: Bass and vocals
Patrick Crann: Drums
Jim Foster: Guitar and vocals
‘Life In Reverse’ production credits:
All songs written by David Wildman and arranged by TELL
Produced and mixed by Benny Grotto at Mad Oak Studios in Allston, MA
‘Life In Reverse’ artwork:
Media praise for TELL:
“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. They deliver a classically jangly guitar hook on ‘Citizen of the World,’ a taste of vintage Cars on ‘Rosemary Goes Away’ or slide into a spooky, Cure-like groove on ‘Ghost on the Radio.’ 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
