Friendship Commanders' heavy metal catharsis on "The Enemy I Know" from the "Hold On To Yourself" EP

Photo by Jamie Goodsell

If you like to get lost in big walls of rock and roll and like to imagine the lead singer leaning into the barrage of guitar and drum sounds that is bouncing back off the walls then you will love the track The Enemy I Know by Nashville's Friendship Commanders. The heavy metal laced sound with a vibrant gut busting vocal by Buick Audra (who also bleeds on the guitar) is just killer as is the heavy handed drumming by Jerry Roe (bass, drums). Friendship Commanders is a duo and the pair have been creating guitar driven mayhem for five years. The Enemy I Know is from their new EP "Hold On To Yourself" due to drop April 3rd, 2020 and is a follow up their second full length called "Bill" which is comprised of 13 songs with themes of abuse survival, addiction, feminism, unity, human rights activism, equality, and friendship. All important subjects to Audra and Roe. "Bill" was made with Steve Albini at his Electric Audio studio in Chicago. 

"Hold On To Yourself" is a heavy, heavy cathartic record directly tied to primary songwriter Buick Audra who is an abuse survivor and the title of the EP holds a message and personal mantra for her. She says, 

"This has been especially true during times of dealing with unsafe family members, abusers, or unwell people. With a past of self-abandonment, holding on to myself has to be a focus in everything I do. It's a good reminder and I always need it. It just seemed like the right set of words for this record."

-
Robb Donker



THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:

Friendship Commanders are a heavy duo from Nashville TN, comprised of vocalist/guitarist Buick Audra, and drummer/bassist Jerry Roe. Their new EP - HOLD ON TO YOURSELF (out April 3, 2020) - follows their second LP, BILL, which they made with Steve Albini (Electrical Audio, Shellac). HOTY lands firmly on the heavier side of the band’s sound and they collaborated with mix engineer Kurt Ballou (GodCity Studio, Converge) to round out the new work. A departure from a previously raw, mostly live-tracked approach, HOTY introduces a layered, more dimensional studio sound for FC.

In this body of songs, FC examines the world around them, their part in the problems and potential solutions, and even challenges the patriarchy. The release also gets personal and discusses what it looks like to be an adult who survived childhood trauma. The band’s primary songwriter, Buick Audra, is an abuse survivor and has chosen to dedicate this work to other survivors. Her outgoing message is summarized in the EP’s title. The phrase has been a personal mantra for Audra; she has a habit of writing it down every morning as a reminder. She says, "This has been especially true during times of dealing with unsafe family members, abusers, or unwell people. With a past of self-abandonment, holding on to myself has to be a focus in everything I do. It's a good reminder and I always need it. It just seemed like the right set of words for this record."