Premiere: The Cordial Sins Embrace “Cruel” Love and Death’s Sweet Romance

The Cordial Sins © Tiera D. Photo
The Cordial Sins © Tiera D. Photo
The Cordial Sins capture the magnitude of love and connection in their sensational song “Cruel,” a lovelorn lament full of turbulent, broken-hearted indie rock.
Stream: “Cruel” – The Cordial Sins


Baby we’re just better off this way; hope to God that death’s romantic…

For something so deeply singular and intimate, there’s not a single soul on this planet who can’t relate to the importance of love and connection in life. Columbus, Ohio’s The Cordial Sins capture this magnitude in their sensational song “Cruel,” a lovelorn lament full of beautifully turbulent, broken-hearted indie rock.

Cruel - The Cordial Sins
Cruel – The Cordial Sins
Cruel, but admired
That’s how you made me feel
Then, life got hard
So you let go of the wheel
Even though you’re on to someone new
You hope to God that death’s romantic too

This is the kind of song you can play nonstop on repeat; it’s the perfect driving number full of emotion and unrelenting brute strength.

Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the Amber Thompson-directed and produced music video for “Cruel,” The Cordial Sins’ latest single (released September 6) and the lead single off the band’s forthcoming EP In Memory (out October 25, 2019 via Chicago label Diversion Records). The indie rock band co-founded by Liz Fisher (vocals, guitar) and Corey Dickerson (lead guitar, vocals) and now officially rounded out by bandmates Kyle Edwards (guitar), John Allen (bass) and Mike Ortiz (drums), The Cordial Sins are the dark and moody storm you never knew your life was missing.

In premiering the band’s song “Sick of the Hype” last May, we described how the then-alternative rock duo harnessed “a fearless mix of cool rock pepper with suave pop sensibility” that manages to be “incredibly intimate, without alienating a single listener.” “Sick of the Hype” indulged in unrestrained garage rock to let go of restless energy; a year later, the now five-person band seem to have found even more powerful ways of capturing the farthest reaches of the emotional scale.

I said hey
Maybe it’s not, oh, our day
I said hey
Baby, we’re just better off this way

“Cruel is a highly personal love song written about how internal demons torment us and the people we try to love,” frontwoman Liz Fisher tells Atwood Magazine. “I wrote this while mourning the loss of a relationship that provided me with a lot of personal growth, but only after I was able to move past the immense pain I experienced as a result of it. Despite all of the conflict or resentment I felt long ago, I want to atone for my mistakes and attempt to forgive and find peace.” Of the video, she added “it’s a visual rollercoaster representing how isolation manifests when one dwells on unresolved grief and the emotional labor of the past. However, this isolation acts as a catalyst for personal growth and inevitable change, aiding the protagonist in her journey toward self-acceptance and eventually, peace.”

The Cordial Sins © Tiera D. Photo
The Cordial Sins © Tiera D. Photo
Sometimes, I feel you at the back of the room
Try to remember how I felt back then
Even though you’re on to someone new
You still hope to God that death’s romantic too
In Memory - The Cordial Sins
In Memory – The Cordial Sins

The “Cruel” visual is something of a classic music video in its style and structure: Shots of the band performing against an empty backdrop are split with solo shots of a protagonist wandering an empty and dark room alone. Her high-flying, emotionally heavy vocals combine with this touching display of solitude to evoke the weight of loneliness and being without: “Even though you’re on to someone new,” she sings, rich harmonies amplifying the music and its message. “You still hope to God that death’s romantic too…

I said hey
Maybe it’s not, oh, our day
I said hey
Well baby, we’re just better off this way
Baby we’re just better off this way
Hope to God that death’s romantic

The Cordial Sins Explode Against the System in “Sick of the Hype”

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A lovesick love song, “Cruel” is the perfect entrypoint for newcomers to The Cordial Sins’ music, and an incredible way to introduce their upcoming new EP. Stream “Cruel” exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and be sure to stay tuned for October 25’s forthcoming EP In Memory, which promises to showcase the full breadth of The Cordial Sins’ talent.

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:: stream/purchase Cruel here ::
Stream: “Cruel” – The Cordial Sins

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Cruel - The Cordial Sins

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? © Tiera D. Photo

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The Cordial Sins Explode Against the System in “Sick of the Hype”

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