Personally, I love being able to premiere a track where a band gets to show off a new direction they’re working on. It’s thrilling to watch a group morph and change as they push the boundaries and create something new. It’s not only exciting for fans, it’s exciting for the band themselves to push themselves and see how far they can go. San Antonio’s Finding September have crafted a loyal following with their catchy pop punk sound, but they’re always looking to expand their sound. They’ve done just that with their new single “Hostage” and its accompanying music video, which we’re stoked to premiere right here this afternoon.
“Hostage” is still a Finding September song, so you know it’s going to feature a spectacular riff. Guitarist Josh Gomez brings the heat immediately, with a prolonged intro serving as a welcome to listeners both old and new. While the band has never shied away from having a little edge on their sound before, they turn the bite up to eleven with “Hostage.” From the riff to Jayden Mermella drums to frontwoman Emily Bayardo’s powerfully delivered vocals, everything here hits just a little bit harder. It’s a thrill-ride from beginning to end, especially as the bridge turns into a sonically dense and pleasing last delivery of the chorus.
The music video for “Hostage” is an equally good time. Finding September take their cue from crime thrillers, as we see a board full of photos labeled “victim” and other detective work. It seems the main character, Bayardo, is up to something nefarious. As the pieces come together on what actually happened, the band also puts their all into the performance part of the video, exuding all of the energy and drive that “Hostage” so clearly deserves.
Bayardo told us about the new direction on the track, saying “‘Hostage’ took a completely different turn as we were not only writing it, but also recording the music video for it. It’s a darker track about karma catching up to a person and overall paying the price for shitty actions. Lyrically, I drew a lot of inspiration from the movie Coraline and wanted to tap into that darker more “theatrical” writing style.”
You can check out the video for “Hostage” below.
