Canadian punk/hardcore outfit Dead Tired, comprised of drummer Theo McKibbon, vocalist George Pettit, bassist Nick Ball, guitarist Mark “Sparky” Bressette, and guitarist Frank Stefanik, mix a blend of genres on their new album, Satan Will Follow You Home, out now via New Damage Records.
On this, Pettit says, “We all have a lot of different influences from a lot of different realms of music. Sometimes you want to get that out, and sometimes songs you write for one band aren’t necessarily suitable for another.”
Composed of 10 new, unrelenting tracks, the record mixes punk, hardcore, and sludge, making for a cathartic and chaotic listening experience. Previously released track “Domestic,” accompanied by a music video, drives this description home with its thick chords and aggressive sound while the album’s title track is inspired by “the root of evil and how evil is acting in one’s self-interest.”
Started as a “fun, informal project for guys with more formal ones on the go from arena touring rock bands, to thriving recording studios, tattoo parlors, and other endeavors,” according to a press release, the band have managed to create a record worthy of a full-time gig. Inspired by the Dead Kennedys and early Converge, the band released their self-titled album in 2015 followed by three EPs Vol. One (2016), Vol. Two (2017), and Vol Three (2018)
Pettitt says listening to hardcore punk when he stared the band is what inspired them to make their first record one of the same genre. Over time, the band have evolved through member changes; however, Pettit doesn’t have a desire to make an Alexisonfire record without those particular band members. “I want to make different-sounding things with different people.”
Satan Will Follow You Home may sound like a cool title, but there’s a real-life story behind the inspiration for the album name. With his blue eyes growing wide, Pettit recounts a dream he had.
“I live a couple of blocks over from an abandoned mental health facility that’s probably the creepiest building you’ll ever go to. I jog by it all the time. There’s a field right next to it. I had this ridiculous dream one night where these witches tried to conjure the devil, and the devil rose from the ground right next to the mental health facility, and I ran home. I could tell that the devil was coming to my house. I got really scared, and I woke up.”
When Petit woke up the next day, an individual had spray painted the phrase “Satan Will Follow You Home” on the building. Not a superstitious person, Pettitt says the occurrence stuck with him for a while, and he thought it would be a great name for the record.
A conglomeration of fast punk tones and moody “stoner rock” songs, Satan Will Follow You Home captures the rock veterans making the genre sound vivacious.
Watch the video for “Domestic” here:
For more from Dead Tired, find them on Twitter, Instagram, and Spotify.
Photo courtesy of New Damage Records
