…love stories have scars, VIDEO/SINGLE: HOW TRAGIC – Deathwish [Kirsten Bode, director]
How Tragic – Past Lives EP is available at Spotify.
by Walter Price
Either/or “love will tear us apart” or “till death does us apart” take on stark connotations in the recent single, “Deathwish”, from Brooklyn’s hard to pin down How Tragic. Matter of fact, even the term deathwish takes on a foreboding alternate meaning. A ‘love’, err, infatuation, so toxic that, if you ain’t with me, you’re nowhere babe!, is the flavor of this crunchy rock n roll track that’ll have you sittin’ in the post-riot grrrl landscape that LzzyHale, The Pretty Reckless, and Destroy Boys currently thrive.
I’ve got a deathwish with your name on it
And you know it, yeah you know its for you
Your blood spraying through the air
In my face and in my hair
I’ve got a deathwish for you baby
I’d do awful things to keep you here with me
You might not know it yet but we were meant to be
Most gorgeous thing I ever sawed
The best love stories have scars and flaws
No doubt about it, vocalist Paige Campbell doesn’t mince word, as in, holy shit! And as equally freaky, Kirsten Bode’s accompanying film. A twisty music video that’s brilliant parts Hitchcock’s Psycho with nods to Kevin Connor’s Motel Hell, this is a study in love that hurts so good and it’s a real creepfest. Noir meets addictively outlandish…
“Deathwish” comes from the EP ‘Past Lives’, which is available on Spotify. Oh, and add this one to your YIKESY/lurking summertime playlist…Oh, and also, sleep with your lights on…And don’t answer the phone…
HOW TRAGIC Deathwish
Artist photo by Kirsten Bode / PR provided by Spaghetty Town Records
Directed by Kirsten Bode
Creative Direction Paige Campbell
Vibe Master Amy Van Doran
Video Editing by Sonny Ratcliff
Guitars – Lorne Behrman
Bass – Richey Rose
Drums – Randy Schrager
Vocals and Bass recorded by Matt Chiaravalle @ Mercy Sound Studios
Drums and guitar recorded by Cody Marksohn @recordinamansion
Mastered by Joe Lambert Mastering
website / bandcamp / soundcloud / instagram
“There is a quote by author Anais Nin that says: And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. For singer, songwriter, and guitarist Paige Campbell of Brooklyn-based post-riot grrrl quartet How Tragic, that fateful time of transformation struck in 2016. Previously, she had been a bedroom musician playing guitar along to Dag Nasty, Distillers, and Misfits records, but shackling shyness and negative voices in her head held her back from sharing her music. Yet pain and a desire to connect spurred her on. Today, she emerges with her band How Tragic and a visceral and vulnerable debut 4-song EP, Past Lives.” – bio