Toadies have released “Damage,” the latest single from their forthcoming studio album The Charmer, out May 1, on Spaceflight Records. The track arrives alongside a lyric video featuring footage from the band’s sessions with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago.
“For ‘Damage,’ I wanted to capture that caged feeling of lockdown, when all we wanted to do was get out, be around people, and have a fun night,” says Vaden Todd Lewis. “I liked the idea of balancing darker lyrics with something upbeat and fun. It kind of reflects that confusion I was feeling at the time.”
Guitarist Clark Vogeler adds, “To me it feels expressive but understated. There’s a great energy to the performance we captured on this track, and it’s a blast to play live. It flies by in what feels like seconds.”
The lyric video was edited by Sam Wainwright Douglas using still photography from the Electrical Audio recording sessions. “The record sounded monolithic to me, which led us toward a stark black-and-white visual direction,” Vogeler explains. “That aesthetic has really become the visual language of The Charmer.”
The images featured in both the album artwork and lyric video were shot by Lewis’ daughter, Ruby Faye Lewis. “She flew in from Brooklyn to document a few days of the session, and we loved what she captured,” Lewis says. “Her photos really reflect the live energy of the band in that room.”