Liam Bauman’s “Old Friends” is a visceral, emotionally unfiltered indie rock eruption – a searing scream of grief, guilt, and the lingering ghosts of a love that once felt like home. In our exclusive premiere and interview, the Nashville-based artist-to-watch opens up about the heartbreak and loss that fueled his new song, the bold evolution behind his upcoming debut album Good Try, and the cathartic power of making unapologetic music.
Stream: “Old Friends” – Liam Bauman
I definitely found my confidence in making unapologetic music through this song. I hope others find a way to let out their own inner resentment through it, and let “Old Friends” be their new “scream in the car” song.
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Liam Bauman can’t even hang out with his old friends anymore.
Not because they did something wrong; not even because he did something wrong; but because their names, their faces, their presence, are tangled up in a love that collapsed. In grief he didn’t fully see until it bled into song. Bauman’s new single “Old Friends” is that outpouring: A searing, emotionally charged reckoning with heartbreak, resentment, and the brutal fallout of a relationship’s end. It’s intimate and loud, unflinching and raw – a fever dream of loss set to roaring guitars and a voice on the edge of unraveling. The singer/songwriter dives headfirst into his ow emotional wreckage on “Old Friends,” a visceral, vulnerable outcry of heartache, guilt, and the ghosts we carry.
You call my name
I get a big idea
I see your face
I love you back
Nothings evergreen
But I’ve got a picture of you
Still keep it close to me
I don’t why
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the music video for “Old Friends,” the stirring lead single off Liam Bauman’s upcoming debut album Good Try, set for release in December 2025. An intimate fever dream erupting with raw rock fury and aching introspection, “Old Friends” is a song that doesn’t flinch.
Bauman – a 26-year-old Florida native, currently living in Nashville – sings hot on the mic, pouring soul and scars into every second of this emotional exorcism. His dynamic electric guitar work and searing melodies churn with resentment and yearning, pulling us into the wreckage of what once was – and what can never be again.
I can’t even hang out
with my old friends now
Every time I hear your name
I start spinning out
and I made it look easy,
but it’s only hard on you
I never lose, I never lose
I never lose…
While some songs come easy, this one took its time in coming together, requiring Bauman to sit with his hard feelings and unpack, over and over, what they meant to him – and what he ultimately wanted to say.
“‘Old Friends’ is the first single from my upcoming record, Good Try,” he tells Atwood Magazine. “It reaches back to a failed relationship, focusing on the lingering attachment and resentment that can stick around long after things have ended. It’s the longest I’ve ever spent writing a single song – about four months in total. The melody and structure came together in about an hour one night while I was messing around with an acoustic guitar and an old Korg drum machine, but the verses took months of writing and re-writing to get right. I finished it just before moving to Nashville in the spring of 2022, and recorded it with one of my best friends and closest collaborators, Ethan Standard.”
“This track, like much of the record, is a departure from the mellow folk sound of my earlier releases. ‘Old Friends’ is intense and emotionally charged, leaning into a heavier post-rock sound. It marks the beginning of a new chapter in my music.”
First debuting in 2019, Bauman’s artistry has evolved considerably over the past half-decade. His first EP Passing Through presented a young, fresh-faced singer/songwriter finding his footing through a folk-laden canvas. A few years later, 2023’s five-track Big Hand seemed to expand out in multiple directions at once, with hints of Gregory Alan Isakov’s vast indie folk soundscaping present alongside Bon Iver-adjacent sonic glitches and a tempered, yet aching overdriven electric guitar – a looming presence, yet still firmly in the background.
What remained a constant in Bauman’s music then is still present today – an authenticity in his written and singing voice that hits hard and leaves an instant, lasting mark on the ears, the heart, and the soul. “Good things are coming,” he sang in 2023’s EP opener “Dragging Behind” – and you desperately wanted to cling to the heavy hope in those four simple words, in much the same way that you might hang onto “I never lose” in his Bauman’s latest single.
Blackberry sky
I had my hands on you
Blink of an eye
And now it’s gone
Maybe there’s no reason
For what I put you through
But I don’t know who I am
I’m glad you do
While the humanity at the heart of his songwriting shines through, the music itself has undergone an undeniable, exhilarating transformation – from softer, more soothing tones to gutsier, grittier grooves with sharper edges, higher highs, lower lows, and deeper depths.
That evolution is on full display here: “Old Friends” brims with catharsis, delivering a biting blend of post-rock thunder and singer/songwriter sensitivity. It’s the sound of someone reclaiming their voice in the aftermath of silence.
I can’t even hang out
with my old friends now
Every time I hear your name
I start spinning out
and I made it look easy,
but it’s only hard on you
I never lose, I never lose
I never lose…
Bauman’s delivery is aching, sarcastic, and brutally self-aware. There’s guilt in the undertow, but also a deep desire to make sense of emotional aftermath. As he explains, “Those lines are about feeling guilty for being the one breaking things off, and how hard that can be even though you’re not really the victim in that moment… ‘I never lose’ was a sarcastic way of saying I didn’t necessarily feel like I came out on top after the split, even if it may have looked that way.”
The accompanying music video, directed by Bauman’s close friend and collaborator Graham Bhuyan, brings that emotional chaos to life in striking form.
“We shot it over a few months, and we learned so much with it being the first video we ever made together,” Bauman says. “We started as great friends, and I really think we’ve developed a unique and creative style together. He is who’s working on the video portion for this whole record, and I couldn’t be happier to have him by my side for this thing.”
From lonely living room scenes and shots of Bauman hanging his full body out of a car door (dangerously close to the ground, one might add) to distortion and grainy, emotive close-up visuals, the “Old Friends” video captures the tension between vulnerability and volume – between what’s said and what’s left unsaid. Like the song itself, it’s unfiltered and unapologetic.
“Old Friends” is the beginning of a new chapter for Liam Bauman – not just musically, but personally.
Good Try is, by his own admission, about growing up, loss, love, and the human connections that make it all worthwhile. But if this first single is any indication, it’s also about owning your past, letting go with grace, and screaming your way toward some kind of peace.
We caught up with Liam Bauman to talk more about the heartbreak behind “Old Friends,” the evolution of his sound, and the story he’s telling with his Good Try. Read our conversation below, and watch the “Old Friends” music video exclusively on Atwood Magazine!
Stay tuned for much more to come from Bauman, an undeniable artist-to-watch this year, as he leads up to the release of his debut album Good Try, coming December 2025!
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:: stream/purchase Old Friends here ::
:: connect with Liam Bauman here ::
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Stream: “Old Friends” – Liam Bauman
A CONVERSATION WITH LIAM BAUMAN
Atwood Magazine: Liam, it’s great to connect! For those who are just discovering you today through this writeup, what do you want them to know about you and your music?
Liam Bauman: Great to connect with you too! This song is the first glimpse into a whole new era of my music, and we have some really exciting stuff to share in the next few months.
What has your experience been like as a Floridian in Nashville? Does music city feel like home after two-plus years?
Liam Bauman: Well I’ve actually been in Nashville for a little over three years now, but it’s been absolutely wonderful. The community here has been so welcoming and supportive, and I’ve made some amazing friends in the short time I’ve been here. I miss my mom and the beach all the time, but aside from that Nashville really does feel like home. Also, I love hot chicken.
Tell me about your “indie-twang-rock” sound. I heard you invented it. Who and what inspires you and what drove you to this style?
Liam Bauman: Haha, I’m not sure I’d say I invented it, but I do think we stumbled upon something unique with this record. My producer Ethan Standard and I went into this record with no initial references or sounds we were trying to chase, and just let the songs lead us where they naturally wanted to go. The writing on this record was definitely inspired by artists like Pinegrove, MJ Lenderman, and early Tom Petty. But production wise it is kind of in its own lane, which I think is really special.
What's the story behind your song “Old Friends”?
Liam Bauman: I wrote “Old Friends” around three years ago while playing with a Korg Volca Drum machine, which kind of lead me to write something a little more high energy. But when I brought it to the band it definitely took on a new level of intensity that none of my music has ever really had before. It’s still one of our favorites to play live.
What’s this song about, for you?
Liam Bauman: It was written a few months after the end of a romantic relationship, and it’s definitely about holding onto that person in someway. At the time I wrote it I was evidently pretty resentful about the way the relationship ended, but I don’t think I really knew that until I’d finished writing the song.
“… and I made it look easy, but it’s only hard on you I never lose,” you sing in the chorus. Can you tell me about these lines and this release, what they mean to you?
Liam Bauman: Those lines are about feeling guilty to being the one breaking things off, and how hard that can be even though you’re not really the victim in that moment. “I never lose” was a sarcastic way of saying I didn’t necessarily feel like I came out on top after the split, even if it may have looked that way. A little passive aggressive I know, but it’s the way it felt haha.
You’ve said this song focuses on the lingering attachment and resentment of a friendship lost. Do you mind sharing a bit about your experience, whatever you're comfortable going into, and how you've been handling it since things dissipated?
Liam Bauman: When a relationship ends, I think it’s kind of inevitable for your friends to end up choosing one partner to remain close to, even if it’s not intentional. It’s natural and truly understandable, but it’s still tough. I’ve since come to terms with the ways things went, and have nothing but good feelings left over for those involved.
Tell me about the music video we’re premiering. Who directed, and what inspired these visuals?
Liam Bauman: The video was shot and directed by my good friend Graham Bhuyan (@damn.gramn), and he absolutely crushed. We shot it over a few months, and we learned so much with it being the first video we ever made together. We started as great friends, and I really think we’ve developed a unique and creative style together. He is working on the video portion for this whole record, and I couldn’t be happier to have him by my side for this thing.
How does this track fit into the overall narrative of Good Try?
Liam Bauman: Good Try is an album about growing up, loss, and love, but more than anything it’s about human connection. This song “Old Friends” is truly about learning to navigate the ending of relationship, and learning to be okay with letting go. I think that’s a main theme that is touched on through out the record.
How do you feel “old friends” and the other songs off Good Try compare to the music from your past records, Big Hand and Passing Through?
Liam Bauman: It’s definitely a leap in a new direction. On my first two EPs I was really working by trial and error, and working to find my voice as an artist. But with Good Try, I went into it with something to say, and I wanted that to be said loud instead of whispered. I’ve always wanted my first full length album to be confident and full of attitude, and I think that’s what sets this record apart from my previous releases.
What do you hope listeners take away from “Old Friends,” and what have you taken away from creating it and now putting it out?
Liam Bauman: I definitely found my confidence in making unapologetic music through this song. I hope others find a way to let out their own inner resentment through this song, and let “Old Friends” be their new “scream in the car” song.
In this spirit of paying it forward, who are you listening to these days that you would recommend to our readers?
Liam Bauman: Oh man, I’ve been listening to tons of music lately. The new Billie Martin record is my current obsession. But here’s a big list of stuff I’ve been lovin’:
- EMLYO – Self titled EP
- lighthearted – we all live on borrowed time LP
- Renny Conti – Self Titled LP
- Samia – Bloodless LP
- Annika Bennett – Live From Mother Earth LP
- Truth Club – Running From the Chase LP
- MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks LP
- Frog – Grog LP
- Paper Wings – Listen to the World Spin LP
- nickname jos – Bite EP
- Katara – These Days LP
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:: stream/purchase Old Friends here ::
:: connect with Liam Bauman here ::
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Stream: “Old Friends” – Liam Bauman
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