Oakland garage rockers The Helltones bring a beachy, modern doo-wop vibe to their new album Medusa (out Nov. 17), drawing inspiration from psychedelic surf, soulful Americana & retro rhythm and blues. Its harmonized backing vocals, sun-kissed hand claps, grooving organ and overdriven guitar create a cinematic album about love, addiction, picking fights, making up and navigating adulthood while maintaining your sanity.

Today The Helltones have released their latest single “When We’re Moving.”  The Sam Cooke via Marvin Gaye’s “When We’re Moving” vibe continues that ‘70s R&B feeling and the theme of longing to go out dancing with your friends. Its smooth dance groove drifts around Siegaldoud’s velvety voice as he sings, “When we’re moving / like the wind in the sycamore trees / I could die, I could die / It feels so fine.” “”I wrote ‘When We’re Moving’ during the lockdown in 2021. I was sitting in my backyard reminiscing about going out to see shows with my partner, wondering how long it would be before I could do that again. I wanted to capture the feeling of a perfect night out with someone you love.”

As with the mythical Medusa, this album is about taking your demons, chopping their heads off, and using their severed heads to turn your other demons into stone. These songs are about the sultry, savage internal world of The Helltones, brimming with love, conflict, sweat, and twangy guitars. They’re about the risk of making yourself vulnerable by putting your emotions front and center, but knowing that that’s what it takes to make a relationship work. Medusa’s gaze turned her victims to stone, but The Helltones break through the pain and hard times with an album that exudes soulful heartache and energetic fun in equal measure.

Photo Courtesy: Ian Castro