Stew is out now!
Image: Pierce Pyrzenski.
Connecticut rockers A Will Away recently dropped their sophomore album, Stew. If you're loving the release and want some insight into each song, we've got you covered! The band have treated MILKY, taking us through the album track by track.
“Stew is a celebration of what we love about rock music, in all of its varied forms,” explains the band. “It's a record that marks the culmination of every ounce of time, blood, sweat, and tears that we've poured into this band over the years and it's the purest and most honest expression of ourselves that we've ever been able to achieve. It's been an incredibly long journey getting here, and we're very excited and proud to finally be able to share it with all of you." the band share of the body of work.
THE ROCK
Uses “a rock in one's shoe” as a metaphor for depression, or a general lack of confidence in one's ability to move forward. Not so crippling as to keep you from walking, but damn it if you don't feel it every time you take a step.
KARMA
This one's self-explanatory. Life's a bitch and sometimes karma comes out of nowhere and kicks you in the taint. It's especially frustrating when you feel like you're receiving a comeuppance that you don't deserve.
SPITTIN' CHICLETS
A song about slowly but surely becoming paranoid and reclusive. Anxiously paralysed into inaction, you hold up indoors and ruminate on every bad thing that has ever happened or will happen as a result of you leaving your comfort zone.
I'VE GOT A FIVE
Musings on the breakdown of interpersonal relationships. First comes an attempt to reach out, followed shortly behind by a breakdown in communication. As both parties grow ever more frustrated and hurt, someone inevitably starts keeping score. Eventually the whole thing becomes more about winning some unspoken wager rather than mending what's broken.
PARACHUTE
This song discusses and tries to capture a feeling of total defeat. The knowledge that something internally has gone terribly wrong and you're no longer operating at full capacity. An attempt to reflect and reason how you got here in the first place. A constant and growing white noise that colours all of your thoughts. And finally, the acceptance that you've no other choice but to stand up and do something about it.
HEREDITARY
A song about almost feeling like yourself again after a particularly difficult time. You catch a glimpse here and there of your old self, and you feel an almost stinging nostalgia. Part of you feels hopeful and wants to be happy that you're feeling a bit better. Another part of you feels a sense of mourning for the person you used to be.
RE-UP
On a surface level this song is about buying weed in the middle of a tour. Lurking just below the surface though, is a song about pushing through your most challenging moments and waking up every morning with a renewed commitment to your goals and the people you share them with.
MATCHSTICK
This song is literally about someone on a tour accidentally starting a forest fire with cheap fireworks. It intends to speak to the stir-craziness of being trapped in an unusual situation and trying to be your best self but knowing all the while that it isn't always possible given the circumstances.
MONTEZUMA BLUE
Like a cheap shot of tequila going down sideways and giving you a sour stomach, there are some decisions in life that you regret the second you go through with them. This song tries to take a humorous look at a feeling of complete and utter shame.
SPEECHLESS
Sometimes we treat the people we love the worst because we feel like we can. ‘Speechless’ discusses the sensation of knowing you've just said something you can never take back.
RUBBED OUT
A song that attempts to encapsulate the complex range of emotions that often accompany grief. The way an individual processes loss is often non-binary and ‘Rubbed Out’ aims to illustrate that sometimes seemingly inappropriate feelings like relief or joy can find themselves interwoven into our processing of traumatic events.
Stew is out now!