LOS ANGELES, CA- It’s been a minute since The Strumbellas found their way into my rotation. To be honest, not since Hope dropped back in 2016. So when the press release for their new single “Hard Lines” landed in my inbox, I was surprised because I realized I’d completely missed their 2019 album Rattlesnake and their 2024 effort Part Time Believer. But as soon as I clicked the video link for “Hard Lines,” that old, familiar feeling came rushing back.
The hook (“Hard times, I’m trying to keep up with the good times, draw another hard line”) hit me right away. It felt both familiar and fresh, like something I’d been waiting to hear without realizing it. Hitting play on this new Strumbellas track instantly pulled me in. Produced by Chad Copelin (whose credits include Sufjan Stevens and Avril Lavigne), the single leans into the band’s signature emotional buoyancy; melancholy lyrics set to anthemic arrangements. This is alt-folk with grit and a pulse.
Singer and pianist David Ritter puts it plainly: “We’re living in a lonely world.” And “Hard Lines” doesn’t shy away from that reality. From the first verse (“Overstimulated love / I guess that I’ve been giving in a little too much”) to the bridge that fully won me over (“Fallen from the edge / Cause my demons keep count”), the track threads vulnerability through momentum. The breakdown- where Ritter sings of burnout, being pulled under, and drawing a metaphorical line in the sand- feels especially vital in a year like 2025.
The Strumbellas have always excelled at packaging struggle into singalongs. “Spirits” catapulted them into the mainstream nearly a decade ago, and while I admittedly lost track of their more recent releases, “Hard Lines” pulled me right back in. It doesn’t rely on overt pop gloss, but it pulses with the same kind of intention: raw, reflective, and deeply human.
If you’ve ever felt numb and tried to power through anyway, this one’s for you.
Follow The Strumbellas on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
*********************
