Machine Head released their new single, “Circle the Drain,” this Friday, the 14th, their first new material since last year’s “Do or Die.”
Speaking about the song, vocalist Robb Flynn revealed that he had the idea for it in 2018: "It's inspired by an acquaintance of mine who returned from Afghanistan and then his relationship ended," he says.
“She was stringing him along and then became paranoid that he was stringing her along, and that drove him crazy. We talked about it on Valentine's Day that year and he said to me, 'We were doomed to fail (a free translation of “circling the drain” in English), and that phrase stuck with me.”
Flynn reveals that right after that conversation with his colleague, he felt inspired to compose a song. “The situation had a strange resemblance to what I was going through at the time. Two band members left, and even more bizarrely, two couples who were friends of mine and my wife got divorced.”
“It was a time of breakups,” he says, “It’s strange, because people end up not being invited to certain events anymore.” And from that came “Circle the Drain,” a song about breakups and especially about overcoming them and moving on.
The vocalist had another coincidence to share: “The irony of it all is that I had this conversation with my colleague on Valentine's Day, and now I'm releasing this song on Valentine's Day. It's really a song against Valentine's Day.” It's worth noting that this Friday the United States celebrates Valentine's Day, also known as Saint Valentine's Day.
Listen to the song “Circle the Drain” below.
