This is a good lyric: "Who's that shithead in my living room playing Resident Evil?" That line is the centerpiece of "Resident Evil," the latest single from the Philadelphia indie rock band Friendship. Dan Wriggins, the Friendship frontman who wrote that line, is also a published poet, and sometimes you need an expert wordsmith to come up with a lyric like that. Music in general would be a whole lot better if songwriters cut out all the platitude and therapy-speak, focusing instead on real, concrete issues like shitheads playing video games in their living rooms.
Friendship are getting ready to follow their very good 2022 album Love The Stranger with a new one called Caveman Wakes Up, and we've already shared lead single "Free Association." On "Resident Evil," Dan Wriggins hollers over splintered guitars with the sort of deranged intensity that we don't often hear anymore. I had images of the Silver Jews dancing in my head before I remembered the poetry connection. Wriggins wrote "Resident Evil" while he was crashing at an Asheville house then occupied by Wednesday's Karly Hartzman and MJ Lenderman. Here's what he says about it:
I needed somewhere to stay in the summer of ’23, and Jake and Karly let me stay at a place they had outside of Asheville while they were on tour. The only guy around was [songwriter and drummer for the Wind] Colin Miller, and I would write all day and go over to Colin’s porch at night to drink and shoot the shit. I remember coming up with the refrain, “Who’s that shithead in my living room / playing Resident Evil,” and Colin telling me it was a great line. It’s a bit of a stolen valor song; the only game I’ve played in the franchise is 7, and I played it on VR. Very scary.
Director Zach Puls shot the "Resident Evil" video in his living room, and it stars his roommate Sunny Ali. Puls would like to clarify that Ali is not a shithead. Check out the video and Friendship's tour dates below.
TOUR DATES:
6/27 - Hamden, CT – Space Ballroom *
6/28 - Medford, MA – Deep Cuts *
6/29 - Portland, ME – Space 538 *
7/01 - Kingston, NY – Tubby’s *
7/04 - Montreal, QC – P’tit Ours *
7/05 - Toronto, ON – Sound Garage *
7/06 - Detroit, MI – Outer Limits *
7/07 - Columbus, OH – Rumba Cafe *
7/09 - Chicago, Il – Schubas *
7/10 - Milwaukee, WI – Anodyne *
7/11 - Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry *
7/12 - Davenport, IA – Raccoon Motel *
7/14 - Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern *
7/15 - Pittsburgh, PA – Bottlerocket Social Hall *
7/16 - Washington, DC – Comet Ping Pong *
7/18 - Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s All Right ~
7/19 - Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s ~
* with 2nd Grade
~ with 2nd Grade & 22º Halo
Caveman Wakes Up is out 5/16 on Merge. Also, Barbarian director Zach Cregger is apparently making a new >Resident Evil movie. I haven't played any Resident Evil games, but I've seen at least four of the Paul W.S. Anderson film adaptations.
