MIRACLE BLOOD has carved out a reputation for their electrifying live performances, charismatic songwriting, and what has been called “the best scream in the city” by If It’s Too Loud…
Since their formation in 2014, the trio – guitarist/vocalist Andrew Wong, bassist Garrett Young, and drummer Anthony Bollitier – has performed incessantly, sharing the stage with bands such as GREAT FALLS, LANDOWNER, and TREE.
After several independently released EPs and singles, MIRACLE BLOOD self-released their debut LP Melter in 2022, scoring a Boston Music Award nomination for Rock Artist Of The Year in the process. Melter shows off the group’s one-of-a-kind, genre-bucking take on noise-punk—dissonant, heavy, and chaotic, yet melodic, catchy, and playful all at the same time.
Their newest release, Hello Hell, is exactly that—a chaotic greeting to the fractured state of modern living. With ten tracks slamming through in under thirty-two minutes, MIRACLE BLOOD has cultivated a meaner, more frenetic sound that drips with raw energy.
The record, produced with Alex Allinson at The Bridge Sound & Stage and mastered by Brad Boatright, also features powerful gang vocals contributed by members of SAPLING and BEDTIMEMAGIC, along with intense cover art designed by guitarist and vocalist Andrew Wong.
Today, we’re stoked to give you the first full listen of “Hello Hell”, along with a special dive into each and every track on the record.
Hello Hell is an unflinching commentary on life’s absurdities and the confusion that often drowns us in the modern era.
From crushing boredom to societal pressure, from the grip of digital overload to life’s personal struggles, MIRACLE BLOOD channels these themes through their signature sound—one that’s as heavy as it is reflective.
Below, we present a full track-by-track breakdown straight from the band, where they explore the inspirations and stories behind each track. This commentary sheds light on how the album tackles issues from existential boredom to societal pressures, exposing the dread and frustration we often feel, though it’s laced with a dose of humor and self-awareness. Check it out below.
““Hello Hell” is about trying to navigate through the modern world and the confusion, anxiety and isolation that comes with that. Our mission was to make a no filler, high energy, front-to-back rocker and I feel like that’s what we did.” – says the band.
“We were so stoked on the sound we cultivated and the music we wrote that I knew I had to push myself with the lyrics for this one. These songs ended up having the lyrics I am most proud of in all my years as a songwriter. They’re meant to uncover the horrors of the mundane while maintaining a sense of humor. Since the album is supposed to reflect the confusion of life, I wanted the lyrics to be a little confusing too. I often wrote multiple versions of the same song about different topics and with different themes and angles, and then combined the lines from each version that I liked the best into the final version. ”
‘Oh My Lord’ is about being bored. It’s the first track of the album and we’re already bored. Boredom seems like a wild human condition to me. You can have everything you need for survival, endless entertainment and more at your fingertips and it’s still not enough. We’ve built a modern world around us that is designed to grab and hold our attention at all times and people can still be bored. In some ways I see that as one way that the human mind still wins over technology.
‘Phenomenon’ is about how overwhelming being ‘plugged in’ in the modern world can feel. We basically have all the knowledge ever at our fingertips but it comes at us at a break-neck pace. Our attention is vied for 24/7 as we’re blasted with news, advertising, pop culture, and even misinformation at any given second. We see tragedies around the globe happen in real time and then it’s on to the next thing before we can even process it. There are so many things in the world that need help, need fixing. But, meanwhile, we have our own lives to survive and, hopefully, enjoy. It can be paralyzing and you end up feeling guilty about not knowing about or doing more. I think this is something many people experience now, but it doesn’t get addressed often.
‘Pets and Owners’ is a rage quit fantasy. I’ve had some crummy jobs in my life. Ones where it was clear that the company did not care at all about the well being of their workers. I’m very lucky to not have one of those jobs now, but I have in the past and it’s easy to feel trapped. It’s not as easy as “just quit.” You’ve got rent, bills, etc. It’s not as easy as “just find a new job.” Finding a job is work. You come home drained and tired. It’s hard to put in more work at that point. At one place I worked, we would make up fantasies of how we would quit in elaborate ways. This song is kind of in that spirit.
‘Lobotomizer’ is about losing control of your own life to societal pressures. It’s so easy to fall into making so many life decisions because it seems like “what you’re supposed to do.” Life can become extremely prescribed if you don’t take the time to question what you really want out of it. It’s like having your brain controlled by someone else; those little voices in your head that say “you really should be doing this or that by whatever age.” You can easily wake up one day and realize the life you’re living is someone else’s version of what is ideal. It happens a lot. It’s mundane but still scary. I think the older we get, the more we feel these types of pressures.
‘Ghosts Marching Slow’ is an unleashing of negativity and cynicism about life. My father has been battling Parkinson’s disease for a while now. Recently he has developed dementia because of it. He had to stop living with my mother so he could receive the care he needed. It was very difficult for everyone to deal with, especially him. Seeing a loved one slowly deteriorate makes you think about life, loss and mortality in a different way. I think it is easy to become cynical about life in these types of situations. This song is an exorcism of that cynicism.
‘Hello Hell’ – This one is designed to get you out of bed. I’m not a morning person. I have a job I have to wake up early for and it’s tough. Having one you don’t like and having to tear yourself out of bed for it is a brutal experience. This song is about that. It’s a heavy one.
‘Rather Be Nothing’ – This is a pump up jam. There are moments in life when we hold ourselves back. Whether it’s taking the safe or expected route, not standing up for what you really believe in or not taking action for ourselves in the moment, I think we all can look back at times when we stood in our own way. This song is about resolving to do that less.
‘I’m Not Complaining‘ – We were writing this song at the time when there started to be these billionaires paying for trips to space. This song imagines a billionaire who is insecure because he’s the last one to go. Poor little guy…
‘First You’ll Laugh…‘ – It annoys me when folks from older generations look down on, resent, and belittle younger generations. I think there’s a lot of hypocrisy and ignorance in it. I also think it’s funny how the narrative changes over time. With millennials, at first it was like “look how silly they are.” Then, it became like “they’re ruining everything and will destroy the economy, country, world, etc.” First you’ll laugh and then you’ll wet yourself.
‘Prepare for Breakfast‘ – This one is about petty arguments. It’s funny to me that we can know and understand a lot of the problems with the greater world, but we still choose to get sucked in and get bent out of shape about small things that don’t really matter. We’re wired for the interpersonal drama with those who surround us: loved ones, friends, coworkers. The internet seems to have made this even worse somehow. There are people with a lot of money and power who use it to sow division for their own benefit. That’s why it works so well, I guess.
MIRACLE BLOOD Live:
11/09/2024 Shattered Glass Fest @ AS220 – Providence, RI w/ Don’t Grow Old, Mountains Man, Broken Body, Tear Drops, Mister Wonderful
11/22/2024 Rock N Claws – Ashburn, VA w/ Druid Stone, Peak Bloom, Excerow
11/23/2024 Chapel of Bones – Raleigh, NC w/ No Falkes Given, Street Water, Crooked Cult, Termination
12/07/2024 O’Brien’s Pub – Allston, MA
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