The story of Weakened Friends unfolds a bit like Fleetwood Mac’s—minus the cocaine, plus a dose of multivitamins. Just over a decade ago, vocalist Sonia Sturino invited bassist Annie Hoffman to start a new band. At the time, Annie was dating drummer Adam Hand. In a way that couldn’t be helped, Annie and Sonia fell in love—and after the original drummer left—Adam, who had been out of the picture until then, stepped in. Crucially, he joined not out of jealousy, but out of love and support for Annie's journey and relationship. That gesture of solidarity turned what could have been a fraught situation into one rooted in mutual care—and eventually into music that reached and moved countless others.

Now, ten years later, they’re three albums deep into the band that would come to define their lives—and Sonia and Annie are married.

Today, Weakened Friends’ collaboration is rooted in this marriage: a built-in crucible for honest critique and deep trust. Transposing their romance onto the band dynamic, Annie and Sonia create collar-grabbing rock music through healthy exchanges aimed at bettering one another and their craft.

Unlike their earlier work, where Sonia handled most of the songwriting, their third album, Feels Like Hell, was a true collaboration. As all good married couples do, they compromised and met in the middle. Sonia learned patience with Annie’s perfectionism; Annie learned to fine-tune Sonia’s feelings-forward approach. With this marriage of emotion and intellect, they transformed personal turmoil into propulsive rock songs. The result? Feels Like Hell is, in Sonia’s words, “unequivocally the best thing this band has ever done.”

At a time when numbness prevails and singers whisper apathy rather than scream their feelings, Feels Like Hell offers a compelling antidote. Sonia sings about everything threatening to kill the spirit—deep nihilism in the face of global capitalism—with the kind of spirit that can’t be killed. Sonia’s vocals imagine better worlds, ones free of restraint or surveillance. There’s no self-censorship here—Sonia isn’t afraid to scream until their throat is raw, and Annie isn’t afraid to bassline through the apocalypse. Leaning into rock and post-pop-punk with heart and reverence, they perform with a freedom many feel bereft of today.

Most songs on Feels Like Hell came quickly, still fresh and on the tip of their tongues. This was a complete reversal from Quitter, their previous album, which ironically caused a burnout that mirrored its themes. With Feels Like Hell, the band intentionally did the opposite of everything they did before. Where they once agonized over every detail, here they embraced impulse. Where they previously took their time, here they kept things sharp and brief. The result is a pure channeling of energy that strikes straight to the solar plexus. Nothing about this record felt forced or coaxed into existence. “I felt blessed by some musical goddesses in the sky, like, ‘here’s a song,’ ‘here’s another,’” Sonia says.

Feels Like Hell also channels a personal journey for Sonia. It’s the first record they’ve made since embracing their identity as a gender-nonconforming person. They’ve completely redefined their relationship to their own voice—finally hearing themselves clearly, without straining to sound softer or more traditionally feminine. “It was really important to me, and it makes me feel so much better about this record because I feel like I hear me. I’m not scared to hear myself; I’m not judging myself anymore.”

The writing is less cluttered by second-guessing and lyrical obstacles—a shift thanks in part to Annie. While Sonia sometimes stifles their own creativity, Annie offers a warm, encouraging outside perspective without being sycophantic. “I just realized you care so much about this and about me, and the fact that we’re in a relationship and you care about me as a person, not just a bandmate, allowed me to trust you completely,” Sonia says to Annie.

Grounded in love, Weakened Friends make music to soundtrack the movie of your life—whether screaming along in the car with friends, serenading your cat, falling in love, getting married, or starting a band.