Weakened Friends, the Portland-by-way-of-Boston trio who’ve built a career out of making emotional messes sound like victory laps, recently dropped their new album Feels Like Hell. The record released via Don Giovanni is equal parts fury and freedom, a fierce power-pop exorcism for anyone who’s ever been gaslit by a narcissist or ghosted by someone in a band. The band’s origin story is pure indie-rock soap opera: singer Sonia Sturino fell for bassist Annie Hoffman, who was dating drummer Adam Hand at the time. They got married, and plot twist, Adam later rejoined the band out of love, not drama. The trio are bringing that cathartic noise to Toronto’s Sound Garage on October 18th. Tickets are still available here. We had the chance to catch up with Sonia and Annie to talk about the new album, their chaotic origin story, creative process and more.
JG: Feels Like Hell is such a punchy and cathartic way to title an album. What went into making the record?
Sonia: Yeah, so, the album title Feels Like Hell. There’s a song called “Not for Nothing.” I guess the lyrics are like, “It feels like hell, but I like it.” And I remember when we were editing that song, I thought “Feels Like Hell” would make a great album title. When you just think about everything that’s going on right now in the world and how it can sometimes feel a little bit hopeless, it seemed like a very cathartic and timely title. But when it came to making the record…
Annie: It was actually a lovely time. Like, a lot of fun.
Sonia: Making that record was like the total opposite of the album title or the subject matter of the songs. I had a lot of writer’s block leading up to when we finally put the pedal to the metal. It actually came really easily, and it was really fun. We recorded and wrote the bulk of it at the very end of last year, around this time. We were coming home from a tour, and we’re like, “All right, we gotta, we gotta make this record.”
JG: It’s so funny that you mention that actually making the record was pretty joyful. Did you find that you had to get yourself psyched up or almost get into character, per se, to channel that hopelessness or angst, considering you were having a good time?
Sonia: Definitely. Song by song, you embody the character of what the theme or the feeling of the song is.
Annie: When it came time to track the vocals, we really focused on not only what are they saying, but what is this person feeling, and is there a way to communicate that just through the sound of your delivery, in addition to the words? And I feel like you absolutely crushed it, Sonia. You should be an actor.
Sonia: Well, you pushed it out of me, so thank you. We were channeling the feeling of each song. But overall, I mean, we like each other and we like to make music. It’s interesting writing songs about some of the things that frustrate you the most, when you’re just kind of like, “This is also just my favorite thing to do.”
Annie: We made a concerted effort on this one because our previous record was a little bit of a slog to make. We were ripping each other’s hair out over it. So going into this one, we’re like, “We’re just gonna follow what, what’s vibing, like, what’s feeling good. If it’s not working, we’ll move, like, shift our attention to something else, try something else.” We were just trying to stay on the surfboard, so to speak. Riding the fun wave.
Sonia: Good vibes. Yeah. And it worked.
JG: A song that stood out to me was “Nosebleed,” which captures that purgatory or in-between feeling of heartbreak and freedom. When you’re going through something like that, how do you know when you’ve actually moved on and can channel that into a song?
Sonia: Geez. I mean, it’s been a minute since I’ve been fully heartbroken. At least not in a romantic relationship, because we’re happily married. I wrote that song based on a conversation I was having with a friend. I think it’s just different for everybody, right? I really wanted to put myself in the shoes of that person, or that feeling of being in-between and being in that purgatory, and trying to have a fake it ’til you make it kind of thing. You have to tell yourself you’re there before you are, as far as getting over it goes. That was what inspired that song.
JG: You’ve been killing it with the music videos that have been coming out as well. The “Nosebleed” video, in particular, with its nod to the film Love Lies Bleeding. How did that come about?
Sonia: Yeah. It was pretty subconscious. Weirdly enough, we were working on the arrangement of that song, and I think that movie had just come out. As a band, we watched it later on that night, after practice. Months later, I was like, “You know, for this one, I’m kinda seeing a video where we go to a gym, and we get trained and we’re weak, but then we end up being strong at the end of it or something.” I wanted it to visually feel similar to the movie, but it was really our director who brought it together and was like, “Well, why don’t we make it this little love story instead?”
JG: Sonia, I’ve seen you mention finally hearing your own voice clearly on this record. What did that process sound like emotionally for you? And did you have to unlearn anything about how your voice should sound?
Sonia: I think being a queer person, you have to unlearn so much. The process of coming out is like, “Okay, this is me, but who am I?” And then, you’re slowly unlearning all these social habits or protective measures that you’ve put on yourself throughout your life to present as whatever normal is in society. Honestly, I’ve come to a point where I’m like, “All right, I think I’ve unlearned all of that.”
And it’s funny because Annie was just rehearsing in the other room. We’re gonna play some older songs from our back catalogue on tour, and as I was listening, I was like, “My voice is so annoying on these.” And I know that’s harsh, but I can hear myself trying to make my voice sound a little higher and a little different. And I was younger too and more green, so I guess that also ties in there. It just felt really good on this record to kinda go in with none of those preconceived ideas of what I should be sounding like, or really with that anxiety of how I’m gonna be perceived. It makes sense that it found its way into the music, but I’ve also just individually come to a point where I found myself, or I’ve traced myself back to who I always knew I was from when I was a little kid. And it feels solid. It feels right.
Annie: Proud of you.
JG: Piggybacking off of that, can you see yourself ever re-recording your older material and seeing how your voice sounds on those tracks now?
Sonia: Oh, geez, that’s interesting. I guess if we had a budget for it. The Taylor Swift budget.
Annie: Maybe, like, a live album? It’s interesting you ask that because I was just digging through files to find some of these old songs, and I don’t have any of the session files for Common Blah [their 2018 debut full-length album] anymore because the studio burned down. So if we ever wanted to remix or remaster those songs…
Sonia: We’d have to re-record it.
Annie: Right. We’d have to re-record everything. Maybe there’s an opportunity there if we wanted to do that.
Sonia: It’s a fascinating thing. It’s interesting when artists do that. Like, I think we have a lot of these legacy artists who have been around for so long, and they re-record old recordings. If we get to that point in our career where that’s something we think we could afford, with the time and the budget, it’d be an interesting task.
JG: The band’s origin story is practically mythic: part soap opera, part solidarity anthem. Almost like a modern-day Fleetwood Mac. How has your dynamic evolved now that love, friendship, and art have all been thoroughly entangled for over a decade?
Sonia: It’s fine. I mean, we’re a band, you know? Annie and I love each other. Being able to tour and share your passion with someone and with no complications is rare. I think you hear a lot about, “Don’t get in a relationship with someone you’re in a band with,” or “You shouldn’t really be in a relationship with someone you work with.” Like, that’s an old trope, right? Early on, a lot of people were really skeptical about the fact that we were together and we were also pursuing doing this together. But it’s been something that’s just really worked for us. We’re really on the same page, and we push each other in the right ways. And, it’s really special.
It feels almost like sibling bands. Not to compare being married to being a sibling, but being that close to someone. With sibling bands, they can get into it and still make it work, other than Oasis, who notoriously can’t make it work. But then there are plenty of examples that can, like Haim.
Annie: And Tegan and Sara. Evening Sun.
Sonia: Yeah. There are plenty of bands that have siblings. Or our friend’s band, Queen of Jeans. They’re married and they’re in a band together. They’re doing the thing. It definitely does work when it works, so we’re lucky for that.
Annie: Yeah. This works. Adam wasn’t in the band from the jump, so there was a healing period for us. Like, we had always been really good friends, he and I. Obviously, when that romantic relationship ended, there needed to be time for everybody to heal and just remember who they are on their own. But yeah, solidarity anthem. I like that spin on it. Because the day the relationship ended, he was nothing but supportive about me pursuing my true self. We like to rag on Adam because he is the classic jaded curmudgeonly charmer dude and can be a little bit of a buzzkill, but he’s a solid dude, and he wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t.
JG: I love that. At a time when a lot of indie rock has gone whispery and detached, you’re out here screaming about capitalism and connection. Do you ever feel like you’re fighting against cultural numbness, or are you just going for it?
Sonia: It’s hard to even say, like, are we indie rock? Like, we don’t really fit in anywhere. I think I’ve always been like a sponge with what I listen to and absorbing different sounds. I grew up on a lot of hardcore music, I still listen to a lot of hardcore bands, a lot of punk bands, a lot of much heavier stuff. But then on the flip side, I listen to a lot of pop and indie. I do listen to a lot of those aforementioned whisper bands. I think I just live in a world where we’re kind of always in between genres. I’ve always felt like we’re a very song-based band. We have the songs, but do we have the vibe? I don’t know. I’ve never been one to follow the trends or to fall into that vibey band thing, which maybe works against us. But I can’t fake it, you know?
Annie: There’s a lot of catharsis in making our music too. As lovely as the whispery stuff is, I feel like whatever itch we’re trying to scratch as a band, that doesn’t scratch it as far as generating music. If that makes sense.
Sonia: I like to be able to feel what I’m singing, and just for me, I know that my register isn’t that soft, ambient texture. It’s more of a battle cry.
JG: That comes across, for sure. Lastly, are there any songs on the new album that you’re particularly looking forward to doing on the road?
Sonia: We’ve just finally gotten to rehearsing “Great Expectations,” which is the penultimate track of the record. Then we have the “Torn” cover.
Annie: That’s more of a bonus.
Sonia: “Great Expectations” is different for us. It is one of those songs that does have a slow build, and is a bit on the softer side. I remember writing that and being really pleased with the lyrics and the feel of it. The ending is really big and exciting. We’ve never really played a song like that live. Hopefully, we can pull it off. We got a couple more rehearsals.
Annie: That’s the thing. I started that song with that bassline. It’s like up really high and then, it’s this arpeggiating thing that goes the whole time. I was just kind of messing around with that, and Sonia came in and was like, “What are you working on? Like, can we build on that?” But it’s one of those parts that’s a little bit outside of my comfort zone.
Sonia: It undulates.
Annie: It’s challenging. But it’s one of those things where you challenge yourself, and that’s how you grow.
Sonia: Yeah. Maybe that’s why I’m excited about that one.
Annie: So I’m just supposed to stand in front of an audience and try not to fuck it up.
Sonia: Yeah. You’ll get there. You’re, you’re fine.
Annie: No, that’s the best way to grow.
JG: I’ll be at the show in Toronto at Sound Garage. So now I’m eager to see how that track goes live.
Sonia: You’re gonna see us early. That’s like the third day on tour, so we’re gonna still be working things out.
Annie: Pray for us.
Sonia: Those early tour days, especially with a new record, it’s like we’re locked in as a touring band and we’ve done a ton of shows. But it’s also like we’ve been playing a similar set for years and years now, and now we have like a new record, and we’re like, “Oh shit, here we go.”
Annie: New songs, new set.
Sonia: It’ll be fun. We’ll see you there.
Weakened Friends’ new album Feels Like Hell is available everywhere music can be streamed. Physical copies can be bought here.
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