Singled Out: Vajra's Love Is A Battlefield

Keavin Wiggins | 11-22-2023

Vajra recently released their progressive alternative hard rock make over of Pat Benatar's classic "Love Is A Battlefield", and to celebrate we asked them to tell us about the track. Here is the story:

Guitarist Dave Sussman: We don't normally do covers, but we wanted to pay tribute to one of our inspirations, and we wanted a song that had some room to 'Vajra-size' and make our own. We were diving down the New York Thruway singing along to the radio, and when Annamaria soared through this song, I knew it was the one.

After that, we explored basslines while we were in Annamaria's childhood bedroom. We went into the studio, and Jimmy came up with a cool beat. We morphed things in our studio, but Annamaria's vocal delivery pretty much stayed the same. The song tells you what it wants. It's just a process of listening to what it needs, and if we are in a good place, we blindly follow what it says. That's what happened here.

Frontwoman Annamaria Pinna: The song captures some of the confusion that I have in a world that feels upside down. We are all still recovering from the pandemic, shut-downs, and are embroiled in a broken economy. We haven't fully healed. Music and art seem to be overshadowed by scripted reality TV, and I'm not sure where I fit anymore. I've been re-examining who I am, and singing this song grounds me to the earth, and inspires me to wipe my face, get in there, and figure it out.

For the music video, along with our other music videos, Dave and I wrote, directed and edited 100% DIY ourselves. We came up with the concept, and had a friend shoot the video. No green screens, no CGI, no costumes, no pseudo-angry faces... we're not interested in competing with the slick big-budget hallmarks of modern metal videos. We simply wanted to put you right inside our Brooklyn practice space with us, and feel us... know us. We want you to dance around the room with us.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more about the band here