Having recently signed to Resist Records, Melbourne-based metal outfit Pridelands are making up for lost time with the recent release of their latest single Heavy Tongue.


Written about a horrific period of Australia’s recent history and based around the bushfires that ravaged parts f the country, Heavy Tongue takes aim at the government and politicians who failed to provide adequate and suitable relief.


Drummer Joe Lipsham sat down with HEAVY earlier this week to talk about the single.


"We recorded it during the bushfires in 2019, 2020," he began, "and I guess we took a lot of inspiration from the neglect the government had and their cause of action so that's what inspired the song lyrically and probably musically as well. It's got a fast pace and it's really angry."


While the people of the affected areas were the ones who suffered - and in most cases still suffer to this day - it is the lack of response before, during, and after the bushfires that Pridelads take particular aim at.


"The anger is more toward the people in power," Lipsham affirmed. "When we recorded it we were in Tathra and the year before the bushfires Tathra had a very similar situation. The whole town just got smoked and it was at a level where there wasn't enough response from the people in power and then coincidently a year later the exact same thing happened on a much bigger basis with obviously a lot of Australia going up and the lack of immediate response from the government is something that still angers a lot of people and is something that struck a nerve with not only us but the people around us. We saw a lot of people go through a lot of stress because of it and it was something we resonated with and felt we needed to write about."


In the full interview Joe talks more about the fires and their lingering effect, Pridelands upcoming Melbourne show to launch the single, their recent largely sold-out tour and getting back on stage after so long, signing with Resist Records and more.