The general trend this deep into the 21st century seems to be one of extremes—and in most cases we’re not met with one or the other, but rather both simultaneously. East Coast punks A Wilhelm Scream demonstrate this quite well on their first new album in nearly a decade, Lose Your Delusion, where they make up for lost time with a collection of songs that opt neither for uplifting anthems in a particularly dark moment nor more somber tunes to further drag our moods down. Instead they opt for both uplifting anthems and somber tunes simultaneously.
Take for example the record’s second track, “The Enigma,” which guitarist/vocalist Trevor Reilly describes as being “heavy subject matter sweetened for consumption with the catchiest singalong choruses I could come up with.” In being what the group describes as their “most unapologetically earnest album to date” (not to mention their most political), that vulnerability, characteristically, comes hand-in-hand with the group’s distinct sense of humor (is the album title a Guns n’ Roses reference, or a Tony Wonder reference? Or both?)—even if “Downtown Start II” puts an end to a longstanding gag of writing songs as sequels to non-existent prequels.
With the record available to stream today, Reilly and bandmate Nuno Pereira took the time to walk us through each track on the band’s fifth album—read their words and listen along below.
1. “Acushnet Avenue at Night”
Trevor Reilly: Addiction doesn't just ruin the lives of the addict, the families go through that same hell. This one's a revenge fantasy about murdering a heroin dealer on Acushnet Avenue, the main artery that goes the length of the city of New Bedford, MA. Where I would drive around in the middle of the night looking for a family member when they were off the wagon, hoping that I could fix it and set things right. And selfishly to get justice to make myself feel like I had some control. The subject is so heavy and so real to me that I wanted the chorus to be as catchy and singalong-y as possible to balance it all out. The intro guitar was recorded a few years back moments after running into this family member and pursuing them down the street. Came home and played what I was feeling in one take and that performance made the record.
2. “The Enigma”
Trevor: This one’s about watching a close friend silently and sadly drift away, slowly becoming a different person before your eyes. And despite your efforts to relate, connect, and help them through their struggle, they double down and go deeper, and can now be found on the internet hating on LGBTQ folks and telling everyone they're going to hell five times a day on Facebook. Again, heavy subject matter sweetened for consumption with the catchiest singalong choruses I could come up with. We kill ’em with kindness on this one, and I’m proud of how we rode the line on that because a diss track would have been too easy, expected, and lazy. So we went with earnestness and the message is all the better for it.
3. “GIMMETHESHAKES”
Trevor: About inconsiderate, self-centered and rude people in modern society that just make you go, “Ewww, yuck, you’re giving me the shakes.” Just a fun little jam poking fun of the Karens and Kens of the world that think the world revolves around them.
4. “...And Big Nasty Was Its Name-O”
Trevor: So over the pandemic I got into wrestling—like big time. It's fun and silly and entertaining as hell! So I wanted to make a wrestling entrance theme for my cousin Sean (who also contributes backing vocals) who’s an indie wrestler named Swilly the Hardcore S.O.B. This is probably the “hardest” shit-kicking song we’ve ever done, and also the most silly. The only song on the album that has an alternate “clean” version in the event that this thing someday gets pumped through the PA system at an all-ages wrestling event at a VFW hall near you (which I can't wait for!). This one always puts a smile on my face.
5. “Yo Canada”
Trevor: “Yo Canada” is our version of “O Canada.” This record is all about giving out flowers and reflecting on the good times we’ve been fortunate to experience during the band’s journey. It starts on 9/11—the day we were supposed to go to Canada for the first time—and reflects on the confusion, chaos, and sadness of that day and where our heads were at. From there it becomes a love letter to a place that’s always welcomed our band with open arms. We even got a Canadian bassist, and I know this song stokes him out. Only thing missing is our best buds in The Flatliners, because they deserve their own song and will get one from us next time around for sure.
6. “Figure Eights in My Head”
Trevor: I had this idea about a group of neighborhood kids going on adventures, building something cool together, and being so excited to wake up the next day that the fun times are literally doing figure eights in their heads all night. We were having trouble fleshing out some of the lyrics in the studio, so one day I turned to our drummer Nick [Angelini] who told me stories of riding his dirt bike out past the train tracks to the industrial park and its abandoned buildings and destroying shit and skidding out of there when the cops showed up. Escaping to the pits of Sassaquin, teenage dirtbag shit. So the idea went from building things to breaking things, but the sentiment of building friendships is still at the core of the song.
7. “I'm Gonna Work It Out”
Trevor: About the end of a friendship due to forces out of your control, and resolving to keep the dream you once shared and pursued alive no matter what. And making that shit come true. No matter what.
8. “Apocalypse Porn”
Nuno Pereira: So it’s no secret that we’re living in unprecedented times, with civil unrest, riots, police brutality, and political buffoonery making top headlines. We as a band have never been overtly political in our songwriting, choosing instead to focus on personal issues that many of us internalize. However, in this case I just couldn’t internalize or tolerate this landscape of hate and bullshit any longer. I, like many others out there, sat and watched as everything from medical advice to police murder became a “left versus right” political debate. It made me sick. This song was a knee-jerk reaction to that. The anger and frustration gave way to sadness as I watched some of the people I considered close friends choose the side of fascism and bigotry. This song was also an ode to that. In the end, we will continue to fight for the marginalized and oppressed with our voices and words as our weapons. I hope this song sparks debate and maybe opens up channels of communication to those friends and family members we lost to the Facebook radicalization algorithm.
9. “Be One to No One”
Trevor: “Be One To No One” is about kicking anxiety and self-doubt square in the nuts and feeling alive again. Saying “hit the bricks” to the toxic vibes out there that seep into our heads. Easier said than done if your brain’s constantly fighting you, but I think it’s about having the attitude of gratitude for what you got and showing love to the positive influences that inspire us that can make all the difference.
Nuno: There’s a line toward the end of “Be One To No One” that sticks out to me and made me well up with tears the first time I heard it. Not because it was of those lines that describes pain in a familiar way. And not because it felt like Trev was connecting through commiseration. It was exactly the opposite. I was listening to the words of a person overcoming the burden, not breaking under the weight of it. It spoke to the perseverance we all are capable of. Triumphantly-smiling-in-the-face-of-the-void-type shit. It made me proud. This song, like most journeys, can’t be fully appreciated until you’ve come to the end. Only then do you truly get a chance to unpack all of the ups and downs you’ve survived along the way. Enjoy the ride, my friends. Thrive and never give up.
10. “Lose Your Delusion”
Trevor: In classic plays and literature, when a playwright couldn't figure out a proper ending or resolution to their story that would satisfy the audience, in many cases they would use the (lazy) technique of deus ex machina, in which the hand of God would come out and literally pluck the character in distress out of their situation, thus avoiding the dilemma. So the idea behind the song is through the viewpoint of an independent artist making a choice to pluck themselves out of the dumps because if you don't believe in yourself, how else are you going to send the people home happy? It’s about perseverance and not giving up on your dreams.
11. “Downtown Start II”
Trevor: On every album it seems we got a song that is a sequel to another song that doesn't exist. This is the first record where it’s not a gag and is actually a sequel to a song that does exist. My dad wrote a song called “Downtown Start” with his band The Lads over 40 years ago. So the title is a tribute to my dad, and the song’s inspired by the same downtown of New Bedford, MA and all the characters, heroes, and lost souls that these cobblestone streets have seen. I really wanted to make our version of "New York Minute”—I was kinda obsessed with that for a while, actually. I considered adding saxophone. It got gnarly.
