PREMIERE Federale, "I Want a New Drug"

A federation of derelicts & desperadoes — Federale; photographed by Ryan Maher.

The underbelly of longing is the tragic human comedy of holding on to the people and places that provide foundational meaning. The pursuits of peace are through the doors of excess that line that paths of pathos and the jagged edges of peril all in the jumble to rejoin our selves with the centers of homeostasis and principle stability. The sacred spaces of our familiar that have molded and influenced us in ways both known and unknown, to the endearing loves that we find through the deluge of our mad existence (and frightful flights of fancy of our own dastardly design). These are the spirits that make us feel whole and radiate our best selves, and those haunts that hold such power and purpose that stand as singular entities in the fleeting vestiges of time's temporal nature.

These sentiments weight heavy on Portland-based Federale, recording the new album Love & Other Lies at the now defunct Revolver Studios. A recording institution founded by bandleader [and longtime member of notorious pop provocateurs Brian Jonestown Massacre] Collin Hegna: Federale follows up the 2024 album Reverb & Seduction scanning the scorched earth darkly with questions of truth, affection, and chemically addled aspirations. Collin entertains the invocations of the psychic temples and tombs that neighbor the data centers populated about the topography of turmoil, treachery as manner of public policy, delving into the decay of devolutions and the existential extents of entropy.

Tackling Huey Lewis & the News’ massive radio hit “I Want a New Drug”, Federale subverts the glamorous neon gloss of the 1980s Bill Graham promoted yuppie pomp & bop with a razor rail of rusted revelry. The group supplants the snooted and zooted Wall Street day trader chic for the western coast wandering bandit bombast of world wary outcasts looking for an angry fix. Hegna and associates invert the original by giving it a remake/remodel/overhaul where the divorced dad decadence aesthetic is reconstructed as a sleeper hit from your favorite no wavers, post-punkers, coal streaked mascara mavens, art pop indies, and all the counter culture kings and queens of cool [contemporaneous of the source material found off that inescapable album that once claimed the number one spot in the summer of 1984].

Federale drives the song toward the ditches of determination, desperation, and the detrimental dredges of desire. The booming barrel guitar grinds its way from the most dank dives, to the barfly parlors where tricks are turned, broken dreams are exchanged for a quick rush of blood to the head. "Drug" dumps out all the inner impetus and intentions that spill out onto the I-5 interstates that connects the crash of emotional alienation and aberrated affections. The artists marry together the testaments of pushers, pimps, hucksters with hearts of gold, charismatic charlatans, bogus venue bookers, and all the go-betweeners that have ever ripped you off before. Federale cracks the compass by creating the feeling of having no place to go, no direction shown, and the cheap thrills you chase to make it feel as if you're not alone, and on your own.

The visuals from Olivia Bayer blend performance footage, mindless indulgence that presents Federale exuding their artful dodgers enjoying a Max's Kansas City residency-style on full display. The brooding and disaffected deliveries are paired with Modelos, Italian wine, studio sessions, spirits, and of course all the requisite visits to the local corner store. "I Want a New Drug" is elevated to the murky undergrounds in a fuzzy frenzy of heroes, villains, vices, and vanity.

Staring, stunting & shining with Federale; photographed by Ryan Maher.

Collin offered the following insights on covering the 1980s classic:

The idea for covering “I Want A New Drug” came from a long weekend spent in the mountains of Lagunitas with my BJM bandmates Joel Gion & Ryan Van Kriedt. We had secured the former cabin of legendary German actor/madman Klaus Kinski as our lodgings for the weekend. Kinski had moved to the small Marin County hippie paradise in 1981 in order to be closer to his son. Ryan was local to the area and knew the current owners.. So we packed up some provisions and drove up to the secluded area to BBQ, drink, and play music. Joel and I are also big movie nerds so this added layer of living on Kinksi’s abode (even briefly) was exciting to us as we could try to channel his madman energy.

Hanging around the honky-tonks with Federale; photographed by Henry Cromett.

This scenario lead to lots of goofing around throwing out crazy ideas to one another. One of those crazy ideas that for some reason took a foothold was the idea of adapting a song by Huey Lewis (another Marin County local) in the style of the 80s goth rock music that we collectively loved. The refrain of “I Want A New Drug” slowed down and transposed down an octave became our bizarre mantra for the weekend. There was something about taking that song, with its saccharine 80’s production, and imagining it in this new goth-y light that just fascinated us. And we couldn't help agreeing with Huey Lewis that we really did want a new drug. Having tried all of the existing ones already…

As I later returned back to my home in Portland I still couldn’t get this version of the song out of my head. This new light that we had painted Huey’s tune in haunted me night and day. This was right at the time that we had just released our previous record Reverb & Seduction (2024) and I was looking for a new direction to take the band in. It seemed only natural that I use the strange thread of Kinski, Huey, and the 80s goth rock to make a musical stir fry.. and create something new.

In creating our version of the song I re-arranged the lyrics, threw out the Huey arrangement, and reimagined a few aspects of the chord progression. Turning it into something dark, beautiful, and with a sense of true longing. One could see this as me taking the piss out of Huey. But it's truly not. I think beneath the slick and silly 80s production of the original lies a deeper and more universal song of longing. I wanted to recast the song in this new light and pay tribute to Huey’s songwriting genius. I did however retain the signature horn melody from The News’ arrangement…just as viewed through a twisted carnival mirror. What emerged from this experiment is truly unique in Federale’s catalog. And I hope that if Huey ever hears it that he loves it as much as we do.

Federale's cover of Huey Lewis & the News' "I Want a New Drug" arrives October 1 via Jealous Butcher Records.

Love & Other Lies will be available October 30.

Catch them live on the following dates:

October

30 Portland, OR - Kennedy School Theatre

31 Portland, OR - Music Millenium

November

1 Tacoma, WA - Spanish Ballroom

4 Portland, OR - WK The Nest

6 Seattle, WA - Baba Yaga Festival

28 San Francisco, CA - Kilowatt

29 Bolinas, CA - Smiley's

January

29 Portland, OR // Crystal Ballroom