FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS release new video clip 'Midheaven'
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS reveal video clip for 'MIDHEAVEN' single taken from forthcoming album "BEAR"
In the wake of the latest two-track advance single, 'X' & 'MIDHEAVEN', American heavy duo FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS follow up with a new video clip for the second part 'MIDHEAVEN'. Both songs are taken from the band's forthcoming album "BEAR" that is scheduled for release on October 10, 2025.
On further exciting news, FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS have announced US live dates for Fall 2025! See below for all currently confirmed shows!
On the single, FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS write: "'MIDHEAVEN' gets into this idea of being born under a certain set of stars, and whether or not that has anything to do with who we are", Buick Audra explains."As a person, who feels like a lifelong misfit with a nature, I can't seem to change, I'm curious about where that starts. Is it written from the start? I'm willing to believe anything at this point. Some days, it's tempting to blame it all on the sky. In the vocal sections of the video, I'm dressed as a quasi-fortune teller, because this song also addresses modern astrology and the weight some people place on it. It seems to almost exist as a get-out-of-jail-free card for human behavior, leaving us wholly unaccountable for our actions. I have questions about those who dole out answers, and why they do so. This is one of the most cinematic pieces of music we've ever recorded, so being in character for part of it seemed fitting."
Jerry Roe adds: "This song is in 6/8, which feels very circular and perpetual to me, so I loved the idea of the camera constantly rotating around us", the drummer and bass player points out. "Our chemistry as musicians is also very special to me and this is one of the rare times where Buick doesn't sing for a long portion of the song, while we get a chance to just play music together for an extended period of time. It made me want to capture that moment purely and with energy, but without making it hard to follow. The extended shot of us playing together in the middle is very moving to me. It took a few shots to nail, but we got a perfect run of it and I'm so proud of it. Buick came in last-minute with the idea of performing the singing shots as a sort of 'oracle' astrologist type with an orb. So we shot it at a high exposure to wash out the whites and skin-tone and it made her look like a sort of mythical goddess, and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out!"
Credits Video directed & edited by Jerry Roe Video shot by Craig Hill & Jerry Roe Gaffed by Jerry Roe PA work provided by Lily Sutton Shot at South x Sea Studios in Nashville, TN (US)
Like their earlier dual single, 'KEEPING SCORE' & 'MELT', 'X' & 'MIDHEAVEN' showcase juxtaposing ends of "BEAR"'s sonic spectrum: one being heavy, the other being lighter – while both are intimately connected through addressing questions about identity and influence.
Tracklist 1. KEEPING SCORE 2. DRAIN 3. DRIPPING SILVER 4. MELT 5. NEW 6. X 7. MIDHEAVEN 8. IMPERFECT 9. FOUND 10. DEAD & DISCARDED GIRLS
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS are not just any band within the wider musical cosmos of heavy rock and stoner metal. Artistic excellence, reflected in the two Grammy wins of singer, songwriter, and guitarist Buick Audra as well as the status of drummer and bass player Jerry Roe as one of the most sought after studio percussionists, paired with outstanding lyrical intelligence have once again flown together organically to shape their forthcoming album "BEAR".
"BEAR" was written around the realisation that Buick Audra had essentially been kicked out of womanhood. This album is a documentation of her awareness also while cataloguing other areas of human connection: art, outsider culture, and dark rock venues – all places where empathy and creativity grow wild. Audra and Jerry Roe arranged and performed the fourth full-length of FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS album to have two sides to it, musically: heavy and light, salt and sugar, fire and air, and lost and found.
Although hailing from Nashville, Tennessee these denizens of the 'Music City' kindly beg to differ. FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS' sound draws from sludge, doom, heavy metal, and grunge with roots in punk and hardcore, among other guitar driven styles.
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS were originally conceived as a side project by the two industry veterans Buick Audra and Jerry Roe, whose accolades have already been mentioned above. When the duo found common ground, they were able to bring all their combined musical excellence, perspectives, precision, and power to their new band.
Their early works, the EPs "GARFIELD" (2015) and "JUNEBUG" (2017) as well as the debut full-length "AVE" (2016) were all self-recorded as well as self-produced in their own studio, Fort Knockout, and supported live with regional tours.
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS' sophomore album 'BILL' (2018) was co-produced by the band with Steve Albini and engineered at his Chicago studio, Electrical Audio. Working with Albini proved a pivotal experience for the duo, both personally and professionally. "BILL" reached a notably larger audience and allowed national touring. Following Albini's passing in 2024, the band released his original analogue mixes of the project, "BILL- The Steve Albini Mixes".
Although the duo's members maintained other ventures, FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS had developed into a focal endeavour for them both. Their again self-produced 2020 EP, "HOLD ON TO YOURSELF", was the beginning of their by now years-long collaboration with Kurt Ballou, who mixed the record. He also mixed their self-produced pandemic-era singles "STONECHILD/ YOUR REIGN IS OVER" (2020), "ALTAR / LAND OF MEN" (2021), and "AND IF MY BODY" (2022). These were later compiled on a limited vinyl release entitled "RELEASE OF THE REST" (2022). The singles also marked a departure from the duo's previous punk and hardcore leanings while introducing a heavier, sludgier sensibility.
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS recorded and co-produced their third album "MASS" again with Ballou at his GodCity Studio in Salem, MA. Audra recorded and produced her vocals at her Nashville studio, and Ballou then mixed the tracks. With "MASS" (2023), a concept album about memory, language, and the state of Massachusetts, the duo took the important next step of reaching a global audience.
"BEAR" was again co-produced by band members Buick Audra and Jerry Roe. The duo returned to Salem to work along once more with their longtime collaborator, Kurt Ballou, who also tracked the instrumental performances and mixed the record. As a result, the songs with a huge range of musical ideas and expressions are unified in sound as well as in theme, which runs throughout the record in various ways: the ever-elusive idea of belonging, where it occurs, and where it absolutely does not.
With "BEAR", FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS present a rare sparkling gem of an album, heavy yet captivating, shiny yet dark, and songs that brim with important meaning. "BEAR" is easy to get into, but beware, this album will draw its listeners into fascinating and thought-provoking depths!
Band: Friendship Commanders Album title: BEAR Style: Heavy Rock Release date: October 10, 2025 Label: Magnetic Eye Records Review impact date: September 8, 2025
Produced by Friendship Commanders & Kurt Ballou Recorded by Kurt Ballou at GodCity, Salem, MA (US) Vocal recording by Buick Audra at Fort Knockout, Nashville, TN (US) Additional engineering by Jerry Roe at Fort Knockout, Nashville, TN (US) Assistant engineering by Zach Weeks at GodCity, Salem, MA (US) Mixed by Kurt Ballou at GodCity, Salem, MA (US) Mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege, Portland, OR (US)
Cover artwork by Jerry Roe & Buick Audra Layout by Buick Audra & Keith Brogdon
19 SEP 2025 Pittsburgh, PA (US) The Stage at Squirrel Hill Sports Bar 20 SEP 2025 Youngstown, OH (US) Westside Bowl 09 SEP 2025 Kansas City, MO (US) SK8bar 10 OCT 2025 Tulsa, OK (US) Whittier Bar 16 OCT 2025 Columbus, OH (US) Ace of Cups 17 OCT 2025 Lexington, KY (US) Al’s Bar 19 OCT 2025 Allston, MA (US) O’Brien’s 23 OCT 2025 Raleigh, NC (US) Slim’s 07 NOV 2025 Austin, TX (US) Raven Room at Crowbar 08 NOV 2025 Houston, TX (US) 1810 Ojeman 11 NOV 2025 Albuquerque, NM (US) TBA 12 NOV 2025 Las Vegas, NV (US) The Griffin 13 NOV 2025 Los Angeles, CA (US) The Redwood Bar 16 NOV 2025 Palmdale, CA (US) Transplants Brewing Co. 19 NOV 2025 Bellingham, WA (US) Waterfront Tavern 20 NOV 2025 Portland, OR (US) High Water Mark 21 NOV 2025 Seattle, WA (US) Bad Bar 23 NOV 2025 Laramie, WY (US) Ruffed Up Duck
About Magnetic Eye Records
Dominating the spectrum of heavy rock and honoring the legacy of the almighty riff, Magnetic Eye Records is a boutique label presenting stunning records by new talent and established names from across the doom, desert and stoner rock landscape. Alongside blistering new releases from our world-class roster of bands that includes the likes of Greenleaf, Howling Giant, Zakk Sabbath, Domkraft and more, we also pay homage to all-time legends via our enthusiastically curated Redux Series of classic albums re-imagined, with icons as diverse as Jimi Hendrix, The Ramones, Jethro Tull and Soundgarden receiving tribute by the likes of Mark Lanegan, The Sword, Matt Pike and The Melvins. Magnetic Eye Records is part of the independent media group SPKR.
Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser.
