At the risk of this website being a Nadia Garofalo fan site, I want to talk about Heavy Feelings. I hadn’t heard of them until I started the post on Kaput, but now I’m hoping they put some t-shirts on their Bandcamp page.
“Alright Go”, above, was the gateway drug, and first song on the Anatomy EP from December. Across the EP’s four tracks Garofalo’s weary, cynical tired-of-your-shit snarl is set against propulsive, angular and anxious post-punk guitars and drums courtesy of bandmate Ben Shillabeer. It’s dark, groovy, sometimes messy and always blisteringly good.
There are only two members of this band, and even more surprising is that they’re not even on the same continent. Shillabeer is based in Bristol, Garofalo in Chicago, and each member recorded their tracks locally.
Not that it’s at all apparent on the record. Centrepiece “Design Flaws” is synth-heavy and cinematic, like the closing credits on a dystopian movie. It builds as it progresses, and the semi-hopful lyric “we could have something beautiful If we were smart enough” gives way to some grim imagery:
Walk me through the motions
Take me to the ledge
And we can jump together
So neither of us wins
“Breather”, by contrast, is almost sunny-sounding. Brighter guitars and a major-key chorus bring to mind early Interpol, but the lyrics are as dark and moody as the others:
Shillabeer has been releasing music under the Heavy Feelings brand for a few years: he released a couple of instrumental EPs before enlisting guest vocalists (including Garofalo) for 2022’s debut album Power Reflection, where their sound started to come together.
Anatomy is the second EP from the band in 2024 – following March’s self titled release. “Bootlickers” is the highlight for me on that release — a little more straightforward alt-rock, still heavy on the cynicism and angst:
Garofalo is also a published poet, and with a record due in April from her other band Kaput, she’s set for a busy 2025.
Further Reading
Regen Magazine article
