Friendship Commanders share roaring, anthemic “Outlive You” (Steve Albini Mix)

Nashville duo Friendship Commanders have announced the release of a new album, BILL – The Steve Albini Mixes, which arrives on July 22, which would have been the late musician and engineer’s 62nd birthday. And today, they’ve released the first song from that collection, “Outlive You,” which carries the band’s signature immediacy and intensity, with an earnest, life-affirming statement driving it. The band said in a statement that it was one of Albini’s favorites from their sessions in 2017. Hear “Outlive You” below.

Friendship Commanders’ Buick Audra says, “Steve told me that he related to the message of this song—a moving moment for me as a songwriter and lifelong fan of his music. I think you can hear that he favored this one by the way he mixed it. The amp sound at the beginning of the track makes my eyes water now. I love that he chose to leave it in there. And we didn’t release this as a single the first time around; it deserves its moment.”

The band’s second album BILL was originally released with a mix by the group’s drummer, Jerry Roe. This version of BILL, however, keeps the original mixes that Albini did after their recording sessions.

Audra said, “We always planned on releasing the Albini mixes. Always. But we kept writing and releasing new work and the right moment never seemed to present itself. We didn’t imagine that Steve would ever pass. It was a joy to make this record with him, and his mixes are reflective of the loud, lovely time we all had together. They’re guitar-forward, angular, and dynamic. And now I guess it’s time to share them. We’ll miss Steve for the rest of our lives but feel immense gratitude that we had this experience together—and that we have this work to show for it. The album was written about complicated grief, but losing Steve has given way to clean, uncomplicated grief. So, this release feels different this time around. More loving. More pure.”