Strung Out’s New Song “Daggers” Has Got Me All Emotional

If you’re a human being with emotions than you’re no doubt familiar with the phenomenon of how certain music can become inextricably linked to a time and place. So it is for me with Strung Out’s last album, Transmission.Alpha.Delta, released in the spring of 2015 and forever linked in mind with an extremely emotional and turbulent time in my life. It was wonderful and horrible, the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, a complete mindfuck, the perfect storm of catastrophically life-altering events converging all at once… and there were Strung Out right in the center of it, all the amazing songs on that album, Jason Cruz’s throaty, smooth and downright sexy voice, the band’s skate-shred guitar style and unwavering punk beats, guiding me through (or perhaps just along for the ride).

Four years later and that stuff is mostly in the past (mostly), but hearing Strung Out’s latest, “Daggers,” woof, it’s tough not to go back there. It’s a fantastic song, mind you — I’ve long been a fan of this band, and “Daggers” is consistently and unapologetically Strung Out — but, you know, feelings and shit. It doesn’t help that the song’s lyrics are at least partially about a relationship. But, like I said, fantastic song. I’m excited to hear the band’s upcoming album from whence it came so I can forge fresh memories with it and commence imparting new personal meaning on this band’s music.

New album Songs of Armor and Devotion comes out on August 9th via Fat Wreck Chords; pre-order here.