Ken's Best of 2021 - #3: Weakened Friends - Quitter

I'm always hesitant to put an album in my top 10 that came out in the past month. The new album excitement is still there, and a lot of times an album that I've gushed about doesn't seem as great after six months or so of listens. But... this is Weakened Friends here, so I'm more than a little confident that Quitter will still be a favorite album in a few years. 

I was a little nervous about this album. If you follow the band on social media, you would have seen them repeatedly posting about how much they were convinced everyone would hate this album. They were wrong. Quitter is far from an exact copy of 2018's Common Blah, but it's close enough that this new one won't lose them any fans. Quitter sees them edging a little more into pop territory and showing off their Avril Lavigne roots a bit, but this is still an indie rock album. It's filled with killer anthems and catchy hooks throughout. If Quitter isn't the album that has Weakened Friends headlining the biggest club in your town by this time next year, there is truly no justice in the world.

Songs of note: "Quitter," "Everything is Better," "Tunnels," and "What You Like"

Weakened Friends - "Tunnels"

Photo by Adam Parshall

One of the trademarks of a Weakened Friends song has always been the soul baring lyrics of Sonia Sturino. "Tunnels" feels especially baring, with a chorus that incudes the lines "I don't even feel a fucking thing lately / Talk like I'm in movies just to get something out." Of course, somehow, this is the Portland trio's most anthemic song yet. It's classic 90's alt-power pop with a huge sound despite being mid-tempo. It's the kind of song that is going to inspire lots of huge sing-a-longs of "Thinking about it all like a race is messing up my health." It's a song about pain with an uplifting sound. If that's your kinda thing, "Tunnels" will be a long time favorite.

You can watch the video for "Tunnels" below. Quitter is due out November 19 on Don Giovanni Records. You can pre-order/pre-save a copy here. For more on Weakened Friends, check out the artist's website.

Weakened Friends - "Quitter"

Photo by Adam Parshall

I've adored Weakened Friends for years now, and it feels like it's been forever since we've had new music from the Maine trio. I knew new music was imminent, but have been a little nervous since the band has kept insisting everyone was going to hate their new music. If "Quitter" is anything like the upcoming album, there's no chance in hell we're not going to love it. "Quitter" is everything we've come to love about Weakened Friends. It's a modern take on classic 90's indie rock, except even catchier and fun. Sure, maybe this one delves into pop territory a little deeper than we're used to, but longtime fans are going to love this song.

You can watch the video for "Quitter" below. It was filmed at Funtown Splashtown U.S.A. in Saco, ME just to make it as Maine as possible. Quitter is due out November 19 on Don Giovanni Records and Big Scary Monsters. You can pre-save/pre-order your copy here. For more on Weakened Friends, check out the band's website.