So, we've been away from the ol' blog for a while. How've you been? We've been doing great, thanks for asking.
Our new single, a cover of Garbage's "Only Happy When It Rains," is out soon (May 12th). We have plenty of new material coming after that, but this particular track was something Russ and I recorded in his basement just for fun, and it turned out much better than we expected.
As part of the pre-release process, we send our songs to platforms like SubmitHub or Groover to receive feedback and attempt to break into Spotify playlists or music blogs. One question we were asked was, "Why is this track about misery so upbeat?"
Well, that's an excellent question.
We believe that when covering a song, there should be a reason for it. It shouldn't merely resemble the original with a different voice; otherwise, it's just karaoke, right?
So, here's why we decided to record this song:
1. Shirley Manson is an icon, and Garbage is one of our favorite bands. I mean, Butch Vig is in the band – are you kidding?
2. Brian lives in Portland. If you're not familiar with Portland, it rains a lot there. And by a lot, we're talking every day for six months a lot. This song is constantly on his mind.
3. We discovered a window into a more upbeat version. Sure, it's on-brand, but it also reflects how people present themselves to the world amidst their personal struggles. When someone asks how you're doing, you often say you're fine or even great, despite being buried in debt, fearful of losing your job, or having a sick pet.
You don't want to make others uncomfortable, so you put on a mask of happiness. The more turmoil in your personal life, the more elaborate the mask.
So, there you have it - our new release announcement. We did it, you guys!