B-Side Guys

Religious imagery rarely serves hedonism with such gleeful precision. On “Fresh Hell,” Connor Douglas Ferguson transforms baptismal metaphors into declarations of carnal devotion, while producer Alex Newport (known for capturing raw intensity) ensures every guitar lick drips with appropriate swagger.

The track marks Ferguson’s decisive pivot from indie-folk to grungier territories, though his songwriter’s ear for sharp imagery remains intact. “Boys who speak with southern drawl” lands with the same careful detail as PJ Harvey’s best character studies, while the instrumentation draws from The Strokes’ ability to make dissolution sound impossibly elegant.

Newport’s production maintains careful tension between polish and grit – clean enough to let Ferguson’s lyrics cut through, rough enough to match their subject matter. The mix creates physical space for lines like “Baptize me with all your sweat” to land with full impact, while guitar tones oscillate between celestial and profane.

Ferguson crafts his celebration of gay sexuality without reaching for obvious rebellion. Instead, he presents pleasure as its own kind of sanctity (“Who needs heaven/With hell this fresh?”), making theological subversion feel less like protest and more like practical theology. The arrangement builds accordingly, moving from restrained verses to ecstatic release with the precision of ritual.

From his new home base in London, the Canadian songwriter has found fresh ways to merge sacred and sensual vocabularies. “Fresh Hell” suggests an artist embracing both musical and thematic evolution, creating space for desire within traditions that often deny it. The result transcends simple transgression, offering instead a new kind of devotional music – one where salvation arrives through embrace rather than denial.