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Sep 21, 2021 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Erikka Electra

Brooklyn-based surf punk quartet Namesake (formerly known as Honduras) is back next month with their sophomore record, Redeeming Features. The band earned some success in the early part of the 2010s with a string of EPs and their 2015 debut, Rituals, which secured them opening slots for Interpol and Blur. Though the band was thrown off course with the 2018 arrest of frontman Patrick Phillips and founding member Tyson Moore leaving the band last year, Namesake emerged this summer with a reinvigorated sound and a new album on the way.

The band announced the record with the amped-up energy of their single “I’m Sick” and followed it with their latest single, “Hole In The Wall.” Now the band is back again with an accompanying video for “Hold In The Wall,” premiering with Under the Radar.

“Hole In The Wall” slows the pace down from the band’s previous single, instead steadily building from simple drum machine beats and wiry guitar lines into a heady mix of post punk grooves. Yet, the core of the track is a heartfelt tribute to special magic found in thousands of DIY venues. Namesake toasts the rundown spaces that gave them a home for years, spots where, as the band puts it, “literally there are holes in the walls” and “regulars got holes in their hearts.”

Not only were these spaces a place for music and community, but they were a place of healing for Patrick Phillips. As he explains, “When I was 20 years old a music producer contacted me on MySpace. I had some songs I’d recorded after high school, and the producer said he’d help get me a deal; all I had to do was trust him. The next six months of my life I went through multiple instances of sexual abuse. I was eventually able to remove myself from the situation, but the following years were very isolating. I blamed myself, felt shame, and sexual confusion. I struggled to even attempt making music; the joy had been removed.

I was taking classes at Hunter College in Manhattan, and I met a kid named Jeremy. I was new to Brooklyn, and Jeremy invited me to a place called Shea Stadium. I didn’t know what he meant, I knew he didn’t like baseball, but when I arrived on Meadow St. in an industrial area of Brooklyn, it all soon felt like home. Young kids moshing, soaked in sweat, singing along to every word, covered in makeup, completely blissed out. Shea Stadium was the first DIY venue I started hanging out at, and it led us to start our band. Here was a way to speak your truth, just scream it out into the night.

The past ten years we’ve performed as well as worked at many DIY venues around NYC. The late-night aspect and instability make them difficult jobs, but ultimately, we’ve been grateful to lend labor to these spaces. Artists need spaces to be nurtured and develop, as well as find community. So to the Hole in the Wall’s everywhere, where outsiders can find their separate peace, thank you for helping people like me.”

Check out the video below and watch for Redeeming Features, coming October 15th via Get Better Records.