After Bridge the Gap‘s first album, 2023’s Secret Kombinations, received critical acclaim from the punk rock press with no official PR launch, they wanted to bring together the same team for the follow-up, namely Bill Stevenson (Descendents, ALL, Black Flag) producing and Jason Livermore (Rise Against, Hot Water Music, NOFX) mixing and mastering. Now this melodic punk band is back with their new album, Gainsayer, which is due out on April 11.
Today, Bridge the Gap are debuting the lyric video for the single “Broken Language” off the upcoming album. With a deeply emotional track that still shows off a strong pop-sensibility, “Broken Language” is a banger of a pop-punk track that harkens back to the best of Rise Against and their ilk. The video pushes the boundaries between a lyric video and a music video, with a stark depiction of drug use that really hammers the point home.
“This song is truly unique and special to Bridge The Gap,” explains vocalist/guitarist Chad Jensen. “It is singular and set apart in our catalog because it features some unpublished lyrics of the late great Jim Cherry, former songsmith of Strung Out, Pulley, and Zero Down. Jim passed away suddenly in 2002, but he has been one of our biggest creative inspirations and influences dating back to when we were teenagers in the ’90s. Through the serendipity of punk rock, the universe led us to our dear friend, Wendy, Jim’s widow. Wendy has been BTG family for years now, and she gave us the great honor of having one of our musical hero’s lyrics, which have never before been seen or heard by the world, in one of our songs.
“When we accepted Wendy’s amazing generosity in using some of Jim’s lyrics, it was a daunting challenge because it had to come out in the wash as a great song. We could settle for nothing less. I already had a vocal melody and meter written with a general emotional tone, and Jim’s words fit what I had like a glove. Not every lyric is Jim’s, but the chorus line is. This is a song that touches on the heartbreaking toll that addiction can take on a relationship, even a true love written in the stars like that of Jim and Wendy Cherry. We hope our fans and new listeners are as moved and inspired by Jim’s lyrics as we are. I think almost everyone can relate to these lyrics. We can’t convey enough how honored we are to share ‘Broken Language’ with the world.”
Check out the video below.
Gainsayer is out on April 11, and you can presave it here. Follow Bridge the Gap on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok for future updates.
Photo Credit: Eric Cannon / Illmatic Productions
