
Toronto trio Faiyaz and the Wasted Chances recently released their new garage punk single "Bleeding Out" and to celebrate we asked Faiyaz to tell us about the track. Here is the story:
"Bleeding Out" wasn't a lightning-bolt song. It took time, doubt, and a stubborn migraine. All year, I carried this riff. It was all major chords, sure a catchy rhythm, but no lyrics, no structure. I kept asking if it was worth keeping. I'm a guitarist first, but I was raised to worship songwriters: Paul Simon from my dad, Elliott Smith from my brother, Beatles and punk in the background. Virtuosity is cool, but if you can't hum it, what's the point?
Part of the children of immigrants experience is the "You have to be the best at what you do, because I gave it all up for you". The concept of sacrifice is shown to us young and it speaks loudly. No point in being run of the mill. No point in sounding like other people. No point in failing. That's deeply embedded in my songwriting. Usually, if an idea doesn't pass my internal test, it's gone. I don't even demo it.
"Bleeding Out" broke those rules. It lingered for nearly a year, failing every exam, except it wouldn't leave. One rare quiet afternoon in Toronto, I decided to honor that persistence and simplicity. No solo. For the chorus, I took a simple melodic idea, did call/response and modulated it through different chords similar to "Glow," but less flashy. Then I sat to write lyrics, and a migraine hit. Instead of quitting, I wrote through it.
That became the heart of the song: resilience over doubt, refusing to let the mundane (or the pain) run the show. It's not about a grand epiphany. It's about staying with the thing that won't let go until it finally sings, and then accepting it for what it is.
Kids, if there's one thing you take from this it's this : Punk Rock is about acceptance not denial.
Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more here
Singled Out: Faiyaz and the Wasted Chances' Flutter
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