Red Fang shared a new song called “Why” along with a video that uses pizza as a metaphor for hard drugs. It’s the third single from their forthcoming album Arrows, due in full on June 4 via Relapse Records.

“It’s time to hurry home/You know he can’t be left alone/Dim the lights and try to find a cure,” vocalist/bassist Aaron Beam sings. The song seems to be about someone who has no care for life. He asks in the chorus, “Why do you want to die?” It’s potentially Red Fang’s most alternative-metal song to date, with a somewhat sludge-inspired melodic guitar riff, catchy verses and an intense chorus.

The video, directed by Ansel Wallenfang, implies that the song is really about a drug abuser. It follows an animatronic mascot named Arnie Von Party as he becomes addicted to pizza, loses his job leading a band called The Party Pals at a pizza joint called Party Pizza, turns to the streets and eventually dies. There’s an animated tripping scene on the way, and plenty of other lighthearted representations of the sad subject matter.

Red Fang and Wallenfang prove to be a great fit for each other, as also evidenced by their previous collaboration on the award-winning interactive video for their 2019 single “Antidote.” However, Wallenfang isn’t the only director they’re closely associated with. They’ve also released several music videos directed by Whitey McConnaughy, including the videos for “Arrows” and their biggest hit, “Wires.”

“Arrows” was the lead single for Arrows, followed by a similar-sounding but more rhythmic single called “Funeral Coach.” Beam had explained that the name came before the rest of the track, “I was driving around and I saw a hearse that said, ‘funeral coach services’ on the back. So the first thing that popped into my head was a dude with a headset and a clipboard going, ‘Alright, dudes—more tears! Five minutes in is when the tears are critical, or no one’s gonna believe that anyone cares that this person died.’”

While “Why” is a unique style for the band, “Arrows” and “Funeral Coach” keep more of the stoner rock/metal roots that they’re known for from their first four records, Red Fang (2008), Murder the Mountains (2011), Whales and Leaches (2013) and Only Ghosts (2016).

Photo credit: Mauricio Alvarado