Premiere: KIND Track ‘Bad Friend’

It doesn’t feel like it was five years ago when KIND graced us with their debut album Rocket Science and their take on the stoner, psych and doom vibe. Featuring current and former members of stoner rock and doom stalwarts Elder, Rozamov, Roadsaw and Black Pyramid, you could easily give them the ‘supergroup’ tag, but more often than not, they fall short of the anticipation. The same however cannot be said for KIND.

So when the opportunity arose to premiere a brand new track from this four piece, it was a no brainer as the band prepare to release their sophomore album Mental Nudge, that will once again be released by the prolific Ripple Music in the US, and Kozmik Artifactz in Europe on the 11th September.

Now today we can bring you a stream of the third track Bad Friend and pre-orders are available now in the US here and for Europe here.

More On KIND & ‘Mental Nudge’

KIND, the stoner/psych/doom supergroup from Boston, are back with their second full-length, Mental Nudge. Featuring members Matt Couto (ex-Elder), Tom Corino (ex-Rozamov), Craig Riggs (Roadsaw) and Darryl Shepard (ex-Black Pyramid), KIND formed in 2013 and released their debut album Rocket Science on Ripple Music in the waning days of 2015. That album garnered favorable reviews across the board, including from Metal Hammer who stated that it built up ‘an atmosphere that’ll sound awesome played live’. That was proven by a West Coast tour KIND undertook with Ripple label mates Salem’s Bend and a live appearance at Desertfest London in 2018, as well as many shows throughout the North Eastern US.

After entering the studio a couple of times in the intervening years to demo new material, KIND booked time at the venerable Mad Oak Studios in January 2020 with Alec Rodriguez (Lesser Glow, Forn, Chelsea Wolfe live sound) behind the boards once again to track Mental Nudge. Staying true to their sound but expanding their sonic palette at the same time, KIND has crafted seven songs that cover the aural spectrum, from the indie-rock influenced Helms to the full-on doom of Trigger Happy to the rock bombast of Broken Tweaker. Rodriguez once again deftly managed to capture the interplay between the instruments and the powerful vocals of Riggs, resulting in a clear yet heavy recording of the new material.

Once the recording was complete, it was time for renowned artist Alexander von Wieding to work his magic and create the cover art.  Alexander has worked with many heavy rock artists, including most notably Monster Magnet, Karma to Burn and Brant Bjork. He once again delivered some eye-catching art for Mental Nudge, tying up the themes of the songs in a striking visual representation. The record was expertly mastered by Carl Saff at Saff Mastering, providing a powerful final master. Mental Nudge will see a September release on Ripple Music once again in the US and Kozmik Artifactz in Europe.

Mental Nudge Tracklist:

01. Broken Tweaker
02. Fast Number Two
03. Bad Friend
04. Helms
05. It’s Your Head
06. Mental Nudge
07. Trigger Happy

KIND are:
Craig Riggs – Vocals
Darryl Shepard – Guitar
Tom Corino – Bass
Matt Couto – Drums

Mental Nudge is set for release on the 11th September via Ripple Music (US) and Kozmik Artifactz (Europe).

Label: Ripple Music | Kozmik Artifactz
Band Links: Facebook | Instagram