WL//WH Video Premiere : SOCIAL STATION “Hesitation”

Video Premiere Social Station

Following last year’s ‘simultaneously uplifting and depressing’ Siouxsie and The Banshees-tinged maxi-single ‘Try (Cross My Heart)’, Washington, DC-based post-punk darkwave outfit Social Station, with a new 2-piece line-up, comprised of founder Paul Todd on vocals, guitar and synth with the addition of classical musician Jacob Sebastian on bass, has announced their new Single ‘Hesitate’ to be released on May 7, 2019.

WL//WH is pleased to premiere the companion DIY video.

‘Hesitate’ is short and sweet, under 3 and half minutes, pulling you in with the immediate chiming of classic 80s synths, then breaking into a sparse bass driven vocal line. Right out the gate, Paul Todd sets up the dark undertones with his signature melancholy vocals and the opening lyric, “Weather the storm in your eyes, it’s not your fault, it’s my disguise, and it’s all too much for me today.” Hearkening back to the essential days of New Order and The Cure, the synths coming splashing back in transporting the verse into an ambitious instrumental, with Todd’s lead guitar weaving between Jacob Sebastian’s bass lines.

A longtime rivalry reaches its boiling point and ignites a face-off, years in the making. Tired of being pushed around leads to a life-changing moment of clarity when an underdog unsuspectingly takes the reins into his own hands leaving his tormentor in the dust. The pen might be mightier than the sword, but even the antagonist is left a little dumbfounded as to what to do next. Talking it out seems laughable so he waits and hopes his sparring mate does too.

Smoke and shadows cast a cool haze of mystery over Social Station performing their new track “Hesitate” as transparent movie clips of the cult classic ‘Tuff Turf’, starring James Spader conjure memories of angst, social struggles, and all things ’80s. Cheerful time-honoured synth melodies, sinuous spine-tingling bass lines and moody dysphoric vocals sensually brood melancholy creating a memorable flashback worthy of dance down memory lane.

Social Station will kick off an extensive US tour, starting with a performance at the Out From The Shadows (OFTS) V Festival in Portland, Oregon, in support of their new single ‘Hesitate’ and their back catalogue, with their sophomore full-length album, planned to be released in the fall of 2019.

Catch them at one of the dates lined up this Spring.