Originally the solo project of songwriter Phil Hartunian, Follies released a handful of singles and a couple CD-Rs back in 2011 and has been mostly dormant since. Dormant that is until a couple weeks ago, when the band updated its Facebook profile to a picture of a wide-grinned Hartunian with blood-stained teeth just days before debuting their first song in almost three years, “I Make Sense”. The new single is the first song off Follies’ upcoming split with Wishbone (of which Hartunian is also a member), due Sept 8 through Double Double Whammy. And while few people (151 Facebook fans at the current count) would’ve noticed their absence, this new song is about as triumphant a return as any.
“I Make Sense” has the same ramshackle aesthetic that’s become Double Double Whammy’s signature, but with a psycho intensity that’s more garage-pop than bedroom-pop, thanks to its booming drums, sludgey bass, and tremolo-tinged vocals. It’s the kind of song that feels like it’s been left out to bake somewhere in the desert sun and, by the time it’s rediscovered, has been warped and faded nearly beyond recognition. In fact, this distorted quality might be a reflection of Hartunian’s own state of mind, as he sings in the chorus, “I make sense, I don’t try talking backwards, I make sense you taught me that,” giving the impression that he feels misunderstood or alienated. At the same time, Hartunian seems to recognizes his own weirdness as he spouts lines like, “Then I squeeze into an appleseed,” and “It’s fun to pretend that I’m not me,” over the trippy, chaotic lo-fi riffs.
You can look for Follies split with Wishbone when it comes out on Double Double Whammy Sept 8 and stream “I Make Sense” below:
