New York City's Uniform have made their name over the last seven years since their formation with a particularly nasty and grueling brand of industrial-rock heaviness. Distorted guitars take center stage on the band's grinding, explosive new screed "Delco," the lead single off the trio's upcoming fourth full-length, Shame, due out on September 11th via Sacred Bones Records. (It's available for pre-order now.) A concept album, Shame is, according to vocalist Michael Berdan, "like a classic hard-boiled paperback novel without a case." For its part, "Delco" draws on the singer's adolescence during which he was repeatedly bullied, both physically and psychologically, a personal history that has had deep repercussions throughout Berdan's life. Blast the song above, and read his comments on "Delco" below.
"During my adolescence, I would get routinely picked on and beat up by some of the kids in the neighborhood who I desperately wanted to like me," Berdan said. "The more beatings I caught, the more I'd go back to try and impress them. My self-esteem was nonexistent and I developed psychological calluses. I learned to repeat some of the behaviors that had been leveled my way on those beneath me in the pecking order. In time, I became numb. Getting older and attempting to reconcile with personal demons surrounding depression, anxiety and substance abuse has forced me to take a long, hard look at my childhood. In the process, I've realized to degrees just how I've perpetuated learned cycles of harm. A terrified part of me is still a little kid in Delco. This song is an exercise in trying to come to terms with these ghosts and let go. Some days are better than others."