New Music: Federale – I Want A New Drug

There are two, well, quite a few really, good reasons why you should welcome Federale’s version of I Want A New Drug into your life.

We rarely feature cover songs on the blog, but I’ve always had a soft spot for this Huey Lewis and the News pop-rock banger from 1984. The other is that Federale is fronted by none other than Collin Hegna of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, so you know something good and rather subversive is coming your way.

In fact, Hegna came up with the idea as a joke with his The Brian Jonestown Massacre bandmate Joel Gion. “I’ve always felt the song carried a deeper meaning than the glossy, cheesy ’80s production of the original by Huey Lewis and the News might lead you to believe. Its message is universal, and I wanted to cast it in a darker, more dramatic light, giving the underlying masterpiece a fresh perspective.”

Huey Lewis has stated that the reference to drugs within the lyrics is metaphorical not lyrical. Portland-based Federale play around with that context on what is the second single from their Love & Other Lies.

You can pick up sudden and short slivers of The Sisters of Mercy, Siouxsie and the Banshees, here, that’s for sure. But this Federale workout could just as easily – and wildly – be Leonard Cohen jamming with a party central take on The Cramps. It goes dark, raw, and maybe a bit sleazy too, but you get to the same conclusion Lewis did: love is the best, and possibly most damaging, drug of all.

To tie in with Love & Other Lies, Federale play Portland on the 30th of October and Tacoma on the 1st of November, with gigs in Seattle and San Francisco already in the bag.

Love & Other Lies is out on the 30th of October on Jealous Butcher Records. There are vinyl editions and some snazzy merch up on Bandcamp right now. Hit up Federale on Instagram and Facebook for album and gig news.

Header photo by Henry Cromett