For those who have to work hard to manage their mental health, there will be days when your brain just doesn’t want to deal with anything. Some people refer to this as a “bad brain day” but it can be hard to explain what is happening when other people haven’t experienced it. With their new single, “Relapse”, Aylmer Ontario punk rock band Moore Ave manages to turn a bad brain day into good music.
Opening the song are some nice riffs from lead guitarist Joe Gaudette as well as a voice snippet from the animated series Bojack Horseman that says, “I want to feel good about myself, the way you do. And I don’t know how. I don’t know if I can.” Given that Bojack Horseman is a show that has resonated with people due to its portrayal of depression, this snippet and the guitar riffs are a creative way to catch the listener’s ear.
Then, the song’s first verse expands on the honesty of the Bojack snippet as vocalist Josh Gaudette sings about how tired they are every day and how they want someone to see how much they need help. Their brain is making them feel bad, but they don’t want to feel helpless. This feeling is embodied in the song’s brief yet hopeful chorus.
“Don’t wanna feel this way
balance out my brain
I want to be okay”
In fact, this chorus makes Joe Gaudette‘s guitar riffs feel like a rallying cry for the listener as it gets a brief moment to shine and lead into the next verse. The second verse is even better than the first, as it embodies the internal struggle of mental health more fully. Vocals desperately sing about how they are trying hard to hold themselves back from relapsing bad habits. Josh Gaudette confirms this, stating, “Relapse’ is a track about mental health and wanting to feel better; it has got to be my favorite track on the record.”
Moore Ave is a band composed of the Gaudette brothers Josh (rhythm/vocals), Joe (lead) and Jack (bass), with the final member being brother-in-punk, Shawn MacDonald (drums). Their sound is reminiscent of late 90’s and early’s 00’s punk bands Sum 41 and Blink-182, but with a sprinkle of modernity.
After recording tirelessly during the height of the COVID pandemic and working with producer Wade McNeil, the band recorded their first full length album Turn Around. Ahead of the album’s release, they released a slew of singles, including “6 Feet”, “Santeria”, and “Second Best,” as heard on SiriusXM.
In fact, “6 Feet”, which was inspired by a dream of Gaudette’s dad dying, has a similar feel to that of their future single “Relapse”. “Santeria” is a cover of the Sublime song of the same name and serves as a good homage to the band’s influences. Finally, “Second Best” is the first single off Turn Around and feels like a positive flip side to “Relapse” that is about getting better and not settling for less than you deserve.