PREMIERE: Punch Drunk Tagalongs bring all of the mania of anxiety to their new track, “Nervous Breakdown”

Children pick up on a lot more than they’re given credit for, and what they witness in their formative years will undoubtedly play a major role in their perspective on life as they grow into lives of their own. Little, weird things become normal to them and bleed into their personality and ability to form relationships — and they may not even realize it until its pointed out to them. Today, we’re sharing a heartwrenching song called “Nervous Breakdown” from a band called Punch Drunk Tagalongs from their new album Hazy, which is out April 6 in partnership with Sun Pedal Recordings.

There’s a discomfort present throughout “Nervous Breakdown” that slowly gets more and more aggressive. The way panic starts out as just a flutter of anxiety before blossoming into a full-fledged attack that makes you feel like you’re decaying in slow-motion while the whole world watches. It captures the power of the narrative that’s on display in a way that can only come from personal encounters with this kind of emotional upheaval, and the track is all the more bold for it. The lyrics are so poignant that you can’t help but feel immediately moved by them. The delivery of “Playing house, pretend spouse/Just for the sake, of postponing the break/Burn it all down, make me your clown/And we’ll do it again, and we’ll do it again” will linger in your head for days; striking with a bit more intensity each time.

When asked about the track, vocalist Alisha Stahnke says: “1 family, 12 years, strong societal constructs, and trying to let go of all of it can tear a person down. This song is for all the mothers and all the kids of mothers who have seen their strong women hold on to something so poisonous to them for the sake of ‘family.’ Family is so much bigger than just cohabitating and living in the same house together. Family is about the balance, health, and well being of each member. Whether that means separate houses and different spouses. Divorce is something that affects a lot of us, and we usually think of it as a bad thing… this song is here to prove it isn’t always the case. This song is about how divorce can save us, our parents, and even our kids.”

You can stream “Nervous Breakdown” above. Hazy is out April 6th on Sun Pedal Recordings and can be pre-ordered here.