Philly power trio Broke Body have released a new single, “Cold Hands”, remodeling one of their oldest back-catalog tracks that has both evolved over years of live performance and changed with the band’s own sonic growth. The original version, only found on the group’s Bandcamp, is squarely post punk. Raw and heavy, “Cold Hands (2019)” opens like a Joy Division song; complete with a growling bass line intro, distorted guitar slashes, and washed out, echoing vocals. Meanwhile, the band’s latest version is slower, heavier, and sounds like…well…Broke Body. Ethereal textures play with the ever-rising tension of the intro as the drums tease at a head-banging drop. As the song crashes in, an eerie guitar riff crawls over the rest of the instruments, fuzzed out and hair-raising.
Listening to both tracks side by side is like night and day. The early version still holds a unique appeal; it’s unpolished, dirty, young punk rock, and it’s fun! The new version though is confident, attention-grabbing, and powerful. I want to scream the lyrics in my room with the music so loud I can lay against its wall of sound. Either way, the song itself holds true. It’s heartfelt, emotional, and real, and isn’t that what matters most?
Listen to the new single and watch Broke Body’s recent Key Studio Session below, catch them on tour this fall. It kicks off and ends at Ortlieb’s – they’ll play September 23 with Tulip Head, Sold, and Peroxide Blonde, and return on on October 20 with Daisychain and Red Touch Black. In between, they head around the south and midwest; full dates here.