Gretchen Shae & the Middle Eight embrace ‘The Business of Broken Dreams’
Out October 1, the latest from the Boston alt-rock band is a ripper of a tune about the drive for immortality through music
BANDCAMP . SPOTIFY . FACEBOOK . INSTAGRAM . APPLE MUSIC . YOUTUBE
Gretchen Shae & the Middle Eight perform live as Siouxsie & The Banshees on September 23 at Dusk in Providence
Listen to ‘UnNatural Love’ and ‘Red Light/Green Light’ on Bandcamp
Photo Credit: Richard Cramer
BOSTON, MA [October 1, 2021] -- The great ‘80s poet and philosopher Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Gretchen Shae & the Middle Eight, however, are taking a different approach. This October 1, the explosive Boston alt-rock band are set to release their third single of 2021 in “The Business of Broken Dreams,” a driving look at the world around the music community that displays no interest in slowing down.
The self-released single follows July’s “UnNatural Love” and August’s “Red Light/Green Light,” which combined with “The Business of Broken Dreams” and new music will help share the quartet’s forthcoming EP. But this new ripper of a tune shows off what Gretchen Shae & the Middle Eight -- formerly known simply as M8 -- do and do best: Craft hard-charging alternative rock bangers with a punk rock edge and razor sharp songwriting smarts.
“‘The Business of Broken Dreams’ is about the drive for immortality through music,” Shae says. “As musicians and artists we all strive to leave an imprint on the world; often that drive causes us misfortune. We may lose people along the way because our drive gets the best of us. I wrote the song in the fall of 2020 amidst the pandemic. Not having live venues as an outlet, I found myself in a Keats-ian ferver. I was writing at least a song per week. This song made the final cut because it expressed the frustration I think many of us had after having so many concerts cancelled.”
That frustration shines through over four relentless minutes, “The Business of Broken Dreams” showcasing the band’s dual vocal attack and frenetic pacing, illustrating a struggle we’re all facing in 2021. As Shae and guitarist Justin Fyfe belt out their respective lyrics, the ache and exasperation blast out of the speakers. The track was recorded at The Noise Floor in Dover, NH, by Ryan Stack, and mastered by Anthony Cimino at Mojo Studios in Franconia, NH.
“The song reflects my mindset in that it offers the foreboding tones of ambition,” Shae adds. “Ambition can lead us to success, but it can also lead us to despair. There is a constant struggle as an artist to find the balance between living in the moment and looking for what is next to achieve. ‘The Business of Broken Dreams’ has a feeling of struggle, searching, seeking for something that is slightly out of reach. Unlike our previous two songs, the chorus proclaims: ‘We want it all and we want it now. Don’t care who we hurt. Just show us how.’ These lyrics are a reflection of the society we live in today. People want things instantly -- at any cost.”
Gretchen Shae & The Middle Eight showcases a sonic departure from Shae’s other Boston band, The Knock-Ups, and finds the Berklee College of Music professor -- who has performed on stage with U2, the Smithereens, and The Runaways’ Cherie Currie -- branching out musically into some uncharted territory.
“This is unlike any other project I have worked on before,” she adds. “The music moves away from the punk rock roots I sprung from; hence, ‘The Middle Eight’ portion of the name is meant to suggest that the design of each song will have a cathartic high point that you do not find in a punk rock power chord song. ‘Skeleton Closet’ will be the next single we release. It too, carries the theme of the kind of world we exist in today where everyone has many sides: who they are, who they present, and who they would like to be.”
With Gretchen Shae & the Middle Eight, there’s just no need to slow down to see the world around us.
Media Contact: Please direct all press inquiries to Gretchen Shae at Gretchenshaeandthemiddleight@gmail.com or Michael Marotta at michael@publisist.co.
***
‘The Business of Broken Dreams’ single artwork:
***
Gretchen Shae & the Middle Eight are:
Gretchen Shae - Songwriting, guitar, vocals
Al Francis - Drums and vocals
Justin Fyfe - Lead guitar and vocals
Quincy Lord - Bass
***
Early media praise for Gretchen Shae & the Middle Eight:
“It’s no surprise M8 dropped their firecracker of a tune ‘UnNatural Love’ right before the long Fourth of July holiday weekend. Explosive in its own right, the latest from the Boston band led by The Knock Ups’ Gretchen Shae is a ripper of a tune that takes no break over its driving 2:40 runtime, blazing across the shores of post-punk and alt-rock without skidding entirely into those territories.” _Vanyaland
M8 was Gretchen Shae at her finest. Goth, post-punk...you know the era and I was there! I thought Gretchen kinda sang like Siouxsie and the Banshees. She put down the guitar, then got down on her knees, good moves.” _Boston Groupie News
***
The music of Gretchen Shae & the Middle Eight has been heard on:
Boston Emissions with Anngelle Wood, On The Town With Mikey Dee on WMFO Tufts Radio, Local Music Now, Wave Radio Boston, and other fine stations and programs.
***
Press Contact: Michael Marotta at michael@publisist.co or
Gretchen Shae at Gretchenshaeandthemiddleight@gmail.com
BANDCAMP . SPOTIFY . FACEBOOK . INSTAGRAM . APPLE MUSIC . YOUTUBE