It’s been a while since we did an album premiere here, but today we have a good one: a full album stream of Always Tired, the new Heavy Weather LP, which comes out October 7th on CD via Snappy Little Numbers. Pre-order links are at the bottom of the post.

While Heavy Weather started as a songwriting project by Nick Bitikofer almost 15 years ago, it turned into a three-man operation in 2019, with Greg Myers and Brian Hilderbrand joining the fold. You can describe the St. Louis trio as indie rock, punk or alternative rock and you wouldn’t be wrong, but Always Tired explores the whole area of that triangle. Think Jawbreaker, think The Weakerthans, think Samiam. Think guitar music with melodies, feelings and enough pull to keep you coming back.

If you’re strapped for time, try Being Honest and You’re Not Dead for the more uptempo side of the band, which dominates the first three quarters of the record. The final stretch slows things down and shows a quieter, more introspective side of Heavy Weather.

Given the state of things, the combination of the band name and album title already feels pretty timely. Then you look at the tracklist and things get even clearer: Shitty Friend, Sad Bastard, Nothing Makes Sense. This is not exactly a record pretending everything is fine. The songs deal with frustration, anxiety, self-doubt, getting older. Bitikofer explains: “Always Tired is a collection of songs about growing up and trying to figure yourself out in the process. These songs are at times confessional, but I think also relatable to anyone who’s trying to figure life out through change.”  It’s heavy, but there are silver linings lurking.

And maybe that’s why Always Tired works so well. Heavy Weather turn the mess into melodic, guitar-driven songs that make it all a little more bearable.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Snappy Little Numbers