Weakened Friends -- Feels Like Hell

In terms of commodities, Portland, Maine’s Weakened Friends bring a high quantity of ‘the goods’ in their most recent album Feels Like Hell. If you’re in the market for high-powered messy alt rock anthemic guitar melt, yep, they bring that. If you are looking to find some tense, fully-going-for-it vocals with a tinge of screaming, step right up. And if you’re shopping for sneaky clever and heartfelt lyrics, why yes they have those too. You could leave the store with your shopping cart full and feel happy, but when you return home and unpack, was there something you forgot?

It certainly wasn’t the rock. That’s definitely there. And if you’re old enough to remember the original buzz bin era that is currently getting a new coat of paint with bands like Weakened Friends, you might be feeling mummified and ancient. Is this more recent bending back towards guitar-centric bands a fad? Did somebody do a damn tiktok about this? No, the trend never fully went away. Feels Like Hell has an equal dose of grunge/alt heritage and pop-ish cleverness and hooks. 

If your finger was already on the pulse, you many have heard the trio’s previous two albums, the raw and punk-ish Common Blah and its groovier, more slacker sounding follow-up Quitter. This third album picks up where the first two left off, propelling itself forward with sweet/slightly sour vocals and a truck and a half of distorted guitar courtesy of Sonia Sturino, pulsing bass from Annie Hoffman, and drumming from Adam Hand that knows exactly where to be and not to be. Sturino’s lyrics perfectly match their performance, and they sing with a raw commitment to their jaded, sometimes emotionally battered perspective. If anything the barely contained anger and sadness Sturino’s lyrics contain have gotten more relevant to a listener’s current feelings as the world has continued to, you know, suck.

And you’re certainly not lacking in a colorful behind the scenes story with the band members. They proudly put forward in their promotional material the messy dating history of the band (A dated B, then broke up and got married to C, then B joined the band.) Sturino has also been on a personal journey that makes this the first album where they’ve presented themselves as a gender non-conforming person. Who knows if this leads to awkward songs about relationships ala Fleetwood Mac or Abba. Does Sturino’s exploration of gender lead to more introspection in their lyrical content? Doesn’t matter, really. The end product is foot stomping and even a little head-banging. That’s just some extra flavor in the background.

Feels Like Hell has a bigger, cleaner and louder production than the previous two records, which makes this group of songs feel like they might have taken their foot off the gas a touch. They even have piano interlude tracks, so you know this was a capital A Album and not just a collection of tracks. But if you’re still searching your grocery bag for the one thing you missed, it’s right there at the bottom. They did a cover of Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn.” It kicks ass. You didn’t know you needed that but they threw it in anyway. 

Check out our interview with Weakened Friends on the Rainbow Rodeo podcast wherever you listen to 'em – or subscribe to get the extended edition here!

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