Features : Hands of Spite Gets (Nearly) Sentimental with the Release of “Dumb Love Song”

Alternative rock band, Hands of Spite, has a new and unexpected single for listeners, the energetic love song, “Dumb Love Song,” off their latest album, Love Songs for the Dumb and Stupid.

Since we last checked in with Hands of Spite, the band is “still friendly-ish together.” Trapped in a hotel room in New Jersey, bandmates Austin, Sam, Zac, and Nate demonstrate their comedic skills as they share insights on their latest release.

“‘Dumb Love Song’ is a good snapshot of where we are as a band—our songwriting, lyrical content… We’re very silly guys. It’s a good representation,” tells the band.

“’Dumb Love Song’ is a high-energy, sappy song. It’s a warped love song with themes of classic Romeo and Juliet. It shows our lens of tainted love,” they explain. “It’s the most collaborative of the tunes we started with. Since we wrote it, we’ve become more collaborative writers. It’s the first song we wrote as a band instead of as one person writing and then sharing the demo. We wrote it organically together.”

After establishing the song lyrically, the band worked out a “cool, fun” hook to bring it all together. “We’ve been sitting on the song for a while. We wrote it almost two years ago and played it a thousand times. It still feels good, and we’re proud of it. We felt we had to have one romantic song on our album.”

The album actually contains one more love song, “Lover,” which the band dubs “a dumb love song.” “We’re not making fun of love songs. Being dumb and stupid is the theme of the album and our band in general.”

The Boston-based group consists of Austin Bullock (guitar/vocals), Sam Gelston (guitar/vocals), Zac Stein (drums/vocals), and Nate Belton (bass). Each member brings a unique range of influences and style to the group, resulting in the robust sound of Hands of Spite. From mid-90s punk to classic rock, many genres and musical elements can be found in their music. “We’re angry—after all, we’re called Hands of Spite. We’re a couple of sad, angry folks,” jokes the band of their raison d'etre.

Hands of Spite developed the content for their recent EP and current album during “one long stretch of writing” that was later split into separate projects. Their last EP, “Inchoate,” came out in January 2023 and energized listeners with introspective yet lighthearted songs. “Our EP had a loose, funky feel that our later songs don’t. Veracity but not chaos,” shares Hands of Spite. “The EP was a sampler. Our next album is an appetizer. If you’re into this style of music, come grow with us and stay excited for our music. Our songwriting gets more refined as time goes on.”

As for the current album, Love Songs for the Dumb and Stupid, “it’s a good, no-skip album.” It also features two upcoming singles, “Lover” and “These Days.”

Hands of Spite isn’t wasting any time with their mindset of ongoing musical creation. Later this year, the band will be releasing several singles. They’re also ready to record a third full-length album by the end of year.

“We’re perpetually writing music. Our second album is ready to go. Our third album is almost there. We’re always working on new music and what we have to offer.”

“We’re excited to promote the new single,” shares the band. “It’s been great playing our songs live and getting great responses. People really liked our last album and are looking forward to what’s next. Our next album is going to be a pleasant surprise for a lot of people.”

Make sure to stay connected to Hands of Spite on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.​

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