Chicago outfit Sonny Falls will issue its new album Some Kind of Spectre on August 17 via the Sooper imprint. The album examines the complexities of codependency in a variety of relationships, including those involving addiction. The LP contains a range of references to heroin addiction and the ongoing opioid epidemic although the lyrics allow listeners room to fill in their own blanks. Frontman and songwriter Ryan “Hoagie Wesley” Ensley explains that themes are present in the latest track from the recording, “Flies”.
“It’s a kind of withdrawal song,” he says. “While it’s obvious that habitual substance abuse will lead to withdrawal, close relationships and love can lead to similar symptoms. I wrote ‘Flies’ while living with a close friend who was an addict. I was constantly worrying about him overdosing. In deciding to leave the situation, I found myself having to confront myself in a new living situation where chaos wasn’t palpable, where a sense of stability and calmness actually made me uneasy because I was so used to this sense of impending doom.”
Ensley adds, “During this time I also had a newfound empathy for my friend and for all people that struggle with addiction. I was able to leave, look inward and try and come out the other end without this demon on my shoulder. He, on the other hand, was still struggling. That’s a tough dichotomy to wrestle with, and at the same time realizing you’ve tried to help but can’t. There’s a thin line between being a supportive person and being in the way of someone else because they need to be alone to get better. In ‘Flies’ all of those ideas are tacked from different perspectives.”