If you are not already paying attention to Broadside, it is time to start.

After breaking onto the pop rock scene in 2010, the Virginia natives have continually delivered a steady stream of emotional hits. Starting with their 2015 album Old Bones, which featured the emo anthem “Coffee Talk” that made everyone want to complain about the youth, followed by 2017’s high energy release Paradise and 2020’s introspective Into The Raging Sea, Broadside have repeatedly poured their hearts and souls into everything they have released. And this past week’s new single “Bang” is no different.

Featuring Magnolia Parks’ vocalist Josh Roberts, “Bang” is (no pun intended) a banging track.

The type of song you want to scream-sing with your windows down while driving on the highway, “Bang” navigates the feeling of being ready to give up while fighting with your inner demons (aptly referred to as ‘the reaper’) to stay afloat.

Featuring lines such as “thought I’d be more than just the ghost of who I’d never been,” to refer to the struggle of feeling like you are living in your own shadow while also feeling as though you have not lived up to your potential, and the lyrically beautiful “mouthful of chalk, but I didn’t ever wanna swallow it /
And even if my world’s not coming to a bitter end / I couldn’t stand the taste of it, I need more than a sedative” to reference a battle with anxiety and wanting to find a way out that isn’t an antidepressant pill- the track is classically Broadside. Introspective, honest, and gut wrenchingly relatable.

And though the overall theme of the track is battling defeat, sonically the track is very upbeat and energetic- symbolizing one last effort to fight off the negativity and go out with a ‘bang.’

“Bang” is the third track to be released by Broadside since Into The Raging Sea, and follows “Cruel” and “One Last Time,” both of which stand out as singular releases, but also as a cohesive story about facing adversity and tackling your inner demons- both of which can be so cruel.

Speaking to Second Society Report last year about their upcoming album cycle, vocalist Oliver Baxxter shared that these upcoming releases mean more to the band than ever before- as they feel like their last shot to make it stick.

“We’re approaching the fourth album and [I] just need one last time to prove to myself that we should still be doing this. And so it’s kind of like, not a last ditch effort, and not a plea or a cry for help, but maybe just like a straight up, honest approach to it. Like, I just want to write a good song. I just want to let you guys know how I’m feeling.”

As for what Baxxter hopes fans take away from their music- the main message is that they are not going it alone, no matter what may be plaguing them.

“I’ve always just been a big, big advocate of perseverance… You can wake up every day and find something that will kill you.. There’s always something, but the best approach is, ‘I’m going to just close my eyes and walk blindly forward, because I have faith that I can get somewhere.’ Like, yes, it all sucks. The world is on fire. But we’re all on fire together.”

You can stream “Bang,” along with “Cruel” and “One Last Time” out now, wherever you stream music. And be sure to follow Broadside via the links below.

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