Experimental metalcore band Wounded Touch have shared their new song, “Condolences and Autumn Nights,” out everywhere today. The track comes from the band’s upcoming album, AMERICANXIETY, set for release March 4th on Smartpunk Records and follows first single “Excerpts from a Violent Thesis” (ft. Trevor Strnad of The Black Dahlia Murder). “Condolences” serves as a swirl of emotion with lyrics centered around remembering a lost loved one. Sonically, the track has a controlled franticness to it, highlighted by pulsating guitars and seamless vocal shifts, akin to bands like Poison The Well and On Broken Wings.
Speaking on the lyrical content of the track, lead vocalist Nick Holland states:
“‘Condolences and Autumn Nights’ is about my closest friend passing away at the end of 2020. There are lines that contain specific details only she would understand, and I’d like those to remain that way, but the lyrics aren’t about the manner of her death, but to remind me of her greatest qualities of hopefulness and the ability to at all times see the best in others and how I can only hope to one day achieve even a fraction of her selflessness.”
Hailing from Michigan, Wounded Touch is composed of Nick Holland (vocals), Jeremy Schultz (drums), Kyle Maddock (guitar), Mike Poshedly (guitar) and Ben Jenson (bass). AMERICANXIETY serves as the follow-up to the band’s 2019 EP, From Day 0 Forward. Recorded with Andy Nelson at Bricktop Studio (Ingrown, Wristmeetrazor), AMERICANXIETY centers around isolation, loss, and the shared trauma in American society. Much of the lyrical content also extends around Holland’s experiences as a paramedic during the height of the pandemic and the passing of loved ones. Oscillating somewhere between metalcore and screamo, the eleven songs on AMERICANXIETY boast the kind of complex brutality that most heavy bands can only strive for. Taking as much influence from bands like Glassjaw and Gojira, to grunge acts like Nirvana and Alice In Chains, the album is a whirlwind of raw emotion, crushing guitars, and dynamic drums. AMERICANXIETY is available on vinyl for pre-order now at Smartpunk Records.
AMERICANXIETY Tracklist:
1. On Serrated Heartstrings
2. Condolences and Autumn Nights
3. The Splinter Waltz
4. Excerpts from a Violent Thesis (ft. Trevor Strnad)
5. Routes of Transmission
6. Americanxiety
7. Translating Threats in Morse Code
8. Enemy Chords
9. A Prayer's Unwanted Answer
10. The Killing of a Year
11. The Last Night of Autumn (Refrain)