Toronto trio Faiyaz and the Wasted Chances drop “Bleeding Out,” a bouncy and unrelenting garage punk single that fuses high-voltage energy with a darker emotional undercurrent. Driven by punchy riffs, stripped-back production, and a restless, kinetic feel, the track captures the disorienting experience of pushing through pain while refusing to slow down. It’s a sharp and immediate introduction to a new chapter for the band, offering the first glimpse into an upcoming full-length project.
“The day I wrote this song, I was really questioning whether it was worth it,” explains frontman Faiyaz Shah. “I deal with terrible migraines, and I just wanted to write something that made it feel like they wouldn’t mean shit to me.” What began as a moment of doubt quickly evolved into something more defiant, a cathartic release shaped by frustration, endurance, and self-trust.
At the heart of the track is a striking contrast. Bright, almost playful guitar work collides with lyrics rooted in mental strain, physical pain, and the slow erosion that can come with both. “There’s this duality between the cutesy, bouncy riff and the bleakness of what I’m talking about,” Faiyaz says. “That dichotomy plus a catchy chorus really keeps it different.”
Initially dismissed by Faiyaz as “too caveman” and “too cute,” “Bleeding Out” found new life through collaboration. Working alongside producer Jose Contreras (By Divine Right), the track began to take shape in a more focused and intentional way. “I’ll never forget watching my “5 Bucks” hero bumping up and down to the chorus once I had overdubbed the dyad picking,” Faiyaz reflects. “Just goes to show we are our own biggest judges.”
Where previous releases leaned heavily into dense layering, “Bleeding Out” pulls things back, favouring a more immediate and live-off-the-floor feel. With just two guitars anchoring the arrangement, the song hits harder by doing less, letting its raw energy and urgency speak for itself.
