B-Side Guys

Naming a problem is the first step toward solving it. Exeter trio Soot Sprite tackles this initial phase with unflinching directness on “All My Friends Are Depressed,” the lead single from their upcoming debut album “Wield Your Hope Like A Weapon” (arriving May 16th via Specialist Subject).

What began as Elise Cook’s one-woman lo-fi bedroom project has blossomed into a full-fledged shoegaze outfit with Sean Mariner (bass/backing vocals) and Sam Cother (drums/backing vocals). This evolution shines through on a track that balances intimate observation with societal critique, creating music that functions simultaneously as personal confession and political statement.

Cook’s plainspoken declaration that “all my friends are depressed/over worked under stress” establishes both narrative framework and emotional landscape without resorting to melodrama. This matter-of-fact delivery creates powerful contrast with the song’s swirling instrumentation, suggesting how mental health struggles have become so normalized that they’re stated as simple fact rather than crisis. The observation that friends are “just trying to make it through the year with less and less” pinpoints economic precarity as mental health catalyst, connecting individual struggles to systemic issues.

The chorus offers pragmatic perspective rather than empty platitudes. When Cook suggests we “change what you can, what you control/let the rest wash over you, try not to fold,” the advice feels earned rather than prescribed. This balance between acceptance and action creates nuanced emotional territory that transcends both toxic positivity and doomed fatalism—a genuine middle path toward sustainable existence.

Most striking is the line “necessity is blind until it becomes conscious,” suggesting how awareness itself becomes revolutionary act in a culture designed to numb and distract. This philosophical observation elevates the track beyond simple commiseration into more profound territory, creating space for both recognition and potential transformation.

As preview of their forthcoming album (inspired by Rebecca Solnit’s “Hope in the Dark”), “All My Friends Are Depressed” demonstrates how Soot Sprite has embraced what Cook describes as “empathy over apathy, despite the constant stream of worldly horrors.” By refusing to let sociopolitical factors remain unnamed background radiation, the trio creates music that serves both cathartic and connective functions—naming a shared condition as first step toward collective action.

Fresh off opening for Sweet Pill on their UK tour, Soot Sprite has crafted a single that suggests their debut album may indeed fulfill its ambitious promise to “wield hope like a weapon” against despair’s encroaching shadows.