Misery Feedback Premiere Their Heavy Single, “Shades of Grey”

For the uncertain times in which we live, Misery Feedback seems like an all too appropriate name for a new rock band. The creation of Vancouver-based musician Ryan Fisher, Misery Feedback, is set to release their debut EP, Pass the Wine and Hail Satan, on June 15th.

Today marks the premiere of the album track “Shades of Grey,” a song highly representative of the ’90s grunge and hard rock that inspired this project. While Fisher is still assembling the parts, he has every intention of this being a full-fledged band. Currently, he is the sole one deciding the band’s sonic direction. And that direction is defined by raw, sludgy riffs, with a heavy yet melodic sound.

Commenting on “Shades of Grey,” Fisher states:

“‘Shades of Grey’ was written to tell the story about a fictional character. The idea was to highlight the lack of resources available to the unhoused and that they are people, not to be ignored.”

The name Misery Feedback is meant to imply the mental state you encounter when you try to fight anxiety with logic, and it only makes things worse. It’s a term that rings very true to Fisher, and he has repurposed it as a concept for the state of the world today. We live in an age where algorithms and artificial intelligence drive our lives and belief systems through the information they feed us. Anxiety is built right into the system, and the machine wants to suck you right up into it.

Although an accomplished instrumentalist, Fisher came at this project from a different direction. He spent nearly a decade as a producer of predominantly electronic music. Then he temporarily acted as a drummer for the metal band Ashen Pall. When he stepped away from that band, he knew it was time to develop his own music. That extended period as a producer taught him a lot about songwriting. He favours dynamics and human elements in his songs. It’s not just about how loud you are or being an instrumental virtuoso. The process is just as important and has helped guide Fisher towards the defined, cultivated approach of Misery Feedback.

Misery Feedback ‘Pass the Wine and Hail Satan’ album artwork