Written by: Sam Santiago
We firmly believe that every generation gets a few awesome “late-night drive” songs that one can crank at 2 am as they fly through the sleeping city streets. We’re not saying break any laws here, folks (wink, wink), but some songs make it easy to do just that.
For us, it was Ministry blasting through blown speakers on a deserted freeway on our way home from Vegas. For others, it was Nine Inch Nails, Filter, Stabbing Westward, or any number of bands that helped shape the darker corners of alternative music throughout the 1990s.
Dead Poet Society isn’t trying to be any of those bands.
Photo credit: Darren Craig
What they are doing, however, is creating music that carries traces of the same DNA and darker edge those previous bands brought to the table.
The Los Angeles quartet has released its latest standalone single, “Roach,“ accompanied by an unsettling new video that leans heavily into the song’s themes of resentment, obsession, and emotional decay.
According to the band, the track is centered on those moments when anger refuses to let go.
“Resent. That is what this song is about. It’s about those who have wronged you, taken advantage of you, hurt you. Let the feeling fester and consume you.”
That darkness runs throughout the song’s entire runtime.
Produced by Paul Meany and mixed by Adam Hawkins, “Roach“ moves between atmospheric tension and crushing grooves, creating something that feels equally at home on modern rock radio and tucked inside a playlist filled with the darker alternative music many of us grew up with.
The accompanying video only amplifies that feeling. Co-directed by vocalist Jack Underkofler and Mindreader, the visuals slowly descend into a dreamlike nightmare that perfectly complements the track’s growing sense of unease.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “ROACH” BELOW
What we appreciate most about Dead Poet Society is their willingness to embrace mood.
Not every song needs to sprint toward a giant chorus. Not every heavy track needs to hit listeners over the head. Sometimes a song just needs to sink its teeth in and stay there.
While the band continues building on the momentum of 2024’s FISSION and last month’s “Sinner Systems,“ this latest release feels like another step toward refining the sound that has made them one of the more interesting acts operating in modern alternative rock.
And while they may not be for everyone, we found ourselves throwing “Roach“ on while cruising Pacific Coast Highway after dark, watching the lights blur against the coastline and realizing this song feels tailor made for exactly that kind of moment.
Some songs belong to the night and this one just about covers it.
“Roach“ is available now on all major streaming platforms.