Following the announcement of his debut album Awesome, arriving October 30, Heathers has returned with the album’s explosive title track. The new single captures the unruly energy at the heart of the project, pairing a top-of-the-lungs chorus with high-octane production, fast-moving guitar and synth leads, and carefully timed drum breaks that push the song toward a chaotic climax. It is another clear showcase of Heathers as both a restless experimenter and a one-man band capable of bringing his maximalist vision to life.
Heathers is the alias of 23-year-old Heath Michael Thomas, whose debut album Awesome delivers hook-heavy, elaborate garage rock one melody at a time. The record embraces volume and intensity, with each song seemingly leaping out of the speakers and demanding attention.
“I write about what makes me angry, because it’s what makes me human,” Thomas says.
The new single follows lead track “I Believe in You,” which premiered on Apple Music 1 last month. Earlier this year, Thomas introduced the Heathers project with two pre-album singles: the anthemic “Bite” and the disorienting power-pop track “Drive/Park,” which was featured in Pitchfork’s Selects.
The road to Awesome began in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, where Thomas grew up in a small Midwestern town of roughly 40,000 people. He started experimenting with music at age 11 using his father’s guitars and home-recording setup. After playing in various bands throughout high school, he eventually shifted his focus toward his own project as Heathers.
The name itself comes from two sources: a Surf Curse song and the classic teenage black comedy Heathers, which happened to be a favorite of a girl Thomas was dating at the time.
Although much of Heathers’ music has been recorded at home, Thomas brought in engineer Lars Stalfors, known for his work with Wisp and The Mars Volta, to help shape Awesome. The goal was to refine the recordings without stripping away the rawness that made the original performances work.
“He did a good job not making it all sound too shiny, which I was worried about,” Thomas says. “I wanted people to hear what these songs sounded like when I first put them to tape, and he did a good job of cleaning it up while still keeping it loud.”
With only a handful of live shows under his belt, Heathers will take the project on the road for the first time next month, opening for Wine Lips and Inner Wave on their upcoming Midwest and West Coast dates. Thomas recently performed two free shows, including one at Bryant Park in New York and another at The Echo in Los Angeles, marking some of his earliest live performances.
With Awesome set to arrive October 30, the title track offers another glimpse at the loud, restless world Thomas has built around Heathers—one where garage rock hooks, raw production, and unfiltered emotion all collide.
Listen to “Awesome” and pre-save the album above, with more from Heathers on the way.