BRKN LOVE & Finger Eleven

No matter what you hear, right now may very well be the best time for rock ‘n’ roll music.

It’s not about making a comeback (it never left). Rather, it’s about finding a way to reach a

disaffected, distrustful, and dislocated generation. BRKN LOVE demonstrates that the

best way to reach them is through soul-shaking riffs, rumbling distortion, and choruses

worth screaming your lungs out to. Ferociously fronted by Toronto-based singer and

guitarist Justin Benlolo, the band are unlocking the release the world needs now more

than ever. After having amassing tens of millions of streams globally, logging thousands of

miles on the open road, and receiving critical acclaim from Guitar World, LoudWire among

other accolades, the group make a valiant statement on their latest album, 2022’s Black

Box [Spinefarm, released 10.28.2022].

“At a time when mental health is at the forefront, rock is so important, because it’s

abrasive, in your face, and blatant about what it stands for and the feeling it evokes,”

exclaims Justin. “It’s a great outlet, since it’s loud, heavy, and cathartic. The punk attitude

is rising again, and guitar music is coming full circle. There’s a generation of angered

youth torn apart by all of this shit going on in the last couple of years. If anything, rock

has never been so relevant.”

Emerging in 2019, BRKN LOVE immediately made an impact upon arrival. LoudWire

hailed the band’s self-titled full-length offering among, “The 13 Best Debut Albums From

Up-and-Coming Acts in 2020.” Among many standouts, “River” has been used in over

52k user videos on TikTok with over 1 billion views (unprecedented for a new rock act).

The group has toured alongside everyone from Badflower and Highly Suspect to Big

Wreck and Dinosaur Pile-Up. Along the way, they recorded Black Box with producer

Anton DeLost [Cleopatrick, Seaway, State Champs]. The music absorbed newfound

confidence from the journey thus far and the trials and tribulations it has presented.

“I was less self-conscious,” admits Justin. “I was a teenager when I wrote the songs on

the first album. I’m not as anxiety-ridden or nervous now. I’ve matured and become an

actual adult over the last couple of years. By putting a proper band together, touring, and

traveling all over the place, I’ve really gotten to know myself better. I’m looking at life more

objectively. I’m very comfortable with who I am. I’ve accepted the person I’ve become.

It’s so much easier to do everything I want to do, because I don’t give a shit what people

think about me anymore.”

That’s instantly apparent in the music. BRKN LOVE set the stage for the project, which

comprises of both the band’s previous EPs Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 alongside other new material,

with the single “Dead Weight.” The band’s 3rd straight Top 10 single in Canada, the track

landed on LoudWire’s “The Best Rock + Metal Songs of November.” On its heels, the

single “Like A Drug” instantly intoxicated with its stomping off-kilter riffing and snarling

vocals. It ignites a devilishly danceable swing.

“I love rock songs you can dance to,” he smiles. “It’s a style we hadn’t really done before.

Lyrically, the track ended up being about a couple of friends who have relationship

problems. Let’s say a friend wasn’t being so faithful to their partner, yet trying to justify

staying together. I thought it was interesting for someone to justify their love, while

breaking that oath. It’s catchy, but the subject matter is serious.”

The opening track “Little Black Box” seesaws between strutting guitars and a swaggering

refrain as he sings, “Little black box, tell me are you lost.”

“I’m all about self-improvement, growth, and bettering yourself,” Justin continues. “Those

themes account for a lot of the lyrical content. The Black Box concept embodies the

whole statement of, ‘Let’s go back. Let’s reassess the whole situation and see what we

can do better next time’.” We played into this idea, because it makes me think of

everything in my life. Black Box represents the new record and who I am as a person.”

Meanwhile, a sidewinder riff wraps around finger-snaps and a toe-tapping bassline on

“One In The Same.” It culminates on a hummable and fiery guitar lead.

“I wanted to write a song about the devil and God inside of you,” he reveals. “It addresses

the split. It’s written from this dual personality like Jekyll and Hyde. At some point, you

realize you’re the same person. That’s what the song is about.”

The newly-matured thematic focus that permeates throughout BRKN LOVE’s endeavours

is taken a step further with their latest offering, Vol. 2. The EP rubs the band’s signature,

hook-driven sound together with punk rebellion, aggressive power, and unrelenting speed

to ignite an unparalleled rock inferno. This blazing spirit is exemplified fully within the EP’s

lead single, introductory track “Under The Knife.”

“This song takes everything that people have been familiar with before, injects it with a

shot of adrenaline, makes it listen to it’s older brother’s hardcore records and kicks it into

a high speed chase down the highway at 155mph,” Justin reflects, “needless to say, it’s

an absolute rager!” The band’s dedication to inducing mosh-pits with an almost surgical

precision does not, however, detach the lyrical anchors of the project first amplified in Vol.

1. “Under The Knife” delves into a nuanced exploration of how some toxic relationships

can, in fact, bring a distorted and warped facsimile of pleasure to those involved. “The

main character’s perspective is one I’ve never written from before,” Justin resumes, “the

character actively admits that the scrutiny and torture is something that is giving his life

purpose, and throughout the song it results in him doing anything he can to continue this

terrible situation.”

Concurrently, BRKN LOVE’s dedication to the riff could not be more beautifully illustrated

than in another of the EP’s standout tracks, “Rubber Room.” Justin passionately

volunteers the track, arguing it to be the “most daring thing we’ve put on record and also

contains the heaviest riff BRKN LOVE has ever laid down, aside from being my favourite

song we’ve ever recorded!”

Aside from delivering some of the finest, most brazenly honest rock ’n’ roll the world has

enjoyed in decades, BRKN LOVE’s eyes are firmly set upon the horizon. “This batch of

songs is only a taste of what our full record is going to sound like,” his grin audibly

widens. “The new album is bigger, badder and groovier than you have ever heard us

before so watch out: we’re coming for you!”

In the end, BRKN LOVE wave the flag for rock like never before. “When you hear us, I’d

love for you to know there’s great music out there and get excited about it again,” he

leaves off. “Young people are still doing this. There’s an uprising happening. I hope we’re

remembered as part of it.”