For Jeremiah McWhorter, vulnerability leads to a purposeful existence.

The Painted Friends frontman embraced his fragility and uncovered hidden truths while penning tracks for the Detroit duo’s latest indie-rock album.

“Without getting too deep into my personal life, I took time to think honestly about the decisions I have made in the last eight months or so while putting the album together. I thought about how deep I got into some struggles and what I needed to do to get out,” said McWhorter, the band’s vocalist-guitarist-bassist about The Devil in the Deep State.

“I started to become more aware of when the natural vulnerability I have from just being a human is leading me somewhere I don’t actually want to go. The key is understanding how to use vulnerability for good instead of evil.”

Alongside drummer Mitch Crosby, McWhorter explores that emotional and spiritual journey and its ramifications through perceptive lyrics and cathartic instrumentation.

“The personal struggles I have in life have always been a big part of what I write about. It helps me process it all. In doing this, I am learning how similar we all are in regard to having personal struggles,” he said.

“I listen to music I can relate to because it sometimes can be that extra push I need to keep going. If I can be that extra push for others, I don’t think there is anything better than that.”

To learn more, I spoke with McWhorter about the thematic and sonic elements behind The Devil in the Deep State.

Q: How has 2025 been for you so far?

A: So far, 2025 has been uneventful apart from the release of our album. Due to the rapid release of this album, we are doing all of our promotion and planning for it after its release. I guess having complete control over our process is a bit of an inspiration on its own. We get excited to try things and see what happens.

Q: You released two albums in less than a year, The Devil in the Deep State and Gomnia: Volume 2 (Indimindi). What inspired you to release so much new material?

A: We made a goal last year to release two albums in under a year. We knew it would be difficult, but we succeeded. It appears that we have that much to say.

Q: Collectively, how do The Devil in the Deep State and Gomnia: Volume 2 (Indimindi) reflect your creative growth as a band?

A: With the exception of our first album back in 2019, every other release was mixed and mastered by people other than us. Frankly, both Mitch and I didn’t have the money to pay someone else to mix and master, so we took it upon ourselves to do that. As a result, our knowledge of mixing and mastering has grown a ton, and [it] will likely just get better as time goes on.

Q: Why did you name the album after a lyric in “They Will See?”

A: The reason “They Will See” was written and why it would be considered the “title track” is because it summarizes and reflects the feeling I had in me the entire writing process for this album. If our hearts are not in the right place, but we still claim, “I’m right, you’re wrong!”, the curses we put on others are being put on ourselves. We need to fix our hearts before fixing the planet.

Q: “Say Hello” explores breaking down barriers between people who disagree with each other. How did writing this track encourage you to connect with people of different beliefs and viewpoints?

A: “Say Hello” is a letter written to my enemies. It lays out where my head is at—which is searching for the truth—and admits that I don’t have all the answers, but neither do they. I am not interested in arguing toward bigger disputes—only discussions toward greater truth. [The lyric], “If you say hello, I will say it back,” sums it up quite nicely.

Q: How does “Say Hello” also serve as a fitting anthem for living in today’s divisive society?

A: I think there is a large group of people who recognize that divisiveness in our culture is taking us down a path of no return. I hope that “Say Hello” can be that extra push for those people who want change but might need a nudge forward.

Q: “Bystander” examines going through the motions in life and seeking a greater purpose in the future. How did feeling like a bystander in your own life inspire this track?

A: I saw a video online where a lunatic was destroying a fast-food joint with an axe or something, and all the people inside were watching him and recording him with their phones. That video struck me to my core for many reasons.

Firstly, I was playing a part in it by watching the video and adding to the reason people film these obscene things, mainly to get views. But also I saw “men” hiding behind their girlfriends and [having] a complete lack of courage for people to at the very least get up and leave. It was clearly a dangerous situation, and I would be running out of there, but people didn’t seem to care that much beyond it being a little entertaining. It felt very hellish. Writing “Bystander” helped me process the emotions I had when I saw that video.

Q: “American Vision” highlights different chapters in a person’s life and the struggles they face along the way. What was it like to reflect on this person’s journey and their challenges while writing this track?

A: “American Vision” is a tragic story that ends without any final conclusion (“Good Things Abound” takes care of that). But it’s meant to express how the mistakes we have made in the past can follow us around. This story is about a boy who takes it upon himself to grow up. His only intuition is to join the military because that seems like a very manly thing to do. Right away, he is put into a position to kill someone that he is told is the “adversary.”

[It] turns out his soul shatters as a result and he becomes overwhelmed when he is 18. He [thinks] he’d be better off in person than raising a kid. His kid eventually gets married, and he gets to walk her down the aisle just in time before his leg gets amputated due to the infection he got after stepping on a piece of glass. There are bits of the story that are real in my life, but I wanted to broaden the story to make it more applicable to others. It’s called “American Vision” because in America it is far too easy for men and women to sign their lives away for the sake of fighting “terrorism.” The suicide rate for veterans is shockingly astronomical and is the fruit of what America has done to these men and women.

Q: “There” is the only instrumental track on the album. Why did you decide to include an instrumental? What inspired its bold synth-pop sound?

A: Mitch took the reins on our instrumental track. He made it the goal for the album to have one and he made it happen. I added the bassline and that’s about it. What is cool about it is [that] he wrote the main synth part with his electronic drum kit of all things. He describes himself as not being much of a musician in the sense of writing melodies and understanding theory, but he nailed it on this one.

Q: “Good Things Abound” acknowledges finding peace and feeling hopeful about the future. How did writing this track help bring you a sense of hope and relief?

A: I mentioned that “American Vision” is a tragedy without a conclusion. I wrote “Good Things Abound” as a way of bringing light and a conclusion to all the songs on the album. It’s meant to be the mindset I try to have now and hope to have on my deathbed.

Q: “Good Things Abound” includes a lyric referencing your band name. How does that track and lyric connect back to you as a band?

A: I think when it comes down to it, there is an answer out there for everyone who seeks after it. I think those who seek after it are set apart from those who live as “bystanders,” and in the end, will be set apart forever. I like the idea of calling people who seek after truth [as] “Painted Friends” because they have a mark on themselves that outlasts a mere surface-level existence.

Moreover, it doesn’t seem true to pursue a future of silence or ceasing to exist after we die. That doesn’t take into account the atrocities committed and the evil in the world that still remains. But also the good we do to combat the evil doesn’t always feel rewarding right away. I think this because there is a greater reward that awaits us if we have faith. I think the way, the truth, and the life itself is THE “Painted Friend” we all wish to know, even if we don’t realize it in those terms.

Q: Why did you include the extra instrumental at the end of “Good Things Abound” and tie it back to “Indimindi” from Gomnia: Volume 2 (Indimindi)?

A: “Good Things Abound” is the song that summarizes the life that was lived throughout the album. If you notice how “Say Hello” starts with a bell sound, “Good Things Abound” also happens to end with that same bell sound. Those are meant to mark the beginning and end of life on this side of eternity. It is followed by a few seconds of silence, then a slowed-down version of our song “Indimindi” from our last record. This was meant to cement the message I have been aiming to spread in the best way I know how. The lyrics from “Indimindi” start with “I met you right where you died … .”

Q: Tell me about your creative process for The Devil in the Deep State. How did the album’s nine tracks come together while writing and recording them?

A: Immediately following the release of our last record in April of 2024, we got to work on this one. We didn’t finish it until January 7, so I guess around nine to 10 months. Drums and bass were recorded at JK (Not Kidding) Studios. The trumpet was recorded at my church in the main auditorium, and everything else was done at my house in the basement.

Essentially, Mitch was the [visionary] for shaping the overall sound. From November to January, he was over my house almost daily trying to mix the album. Once he did his thing, I would make suggestions, though it was rare when that happened. I wanted to be hands-off as much as I could to give Mitch control. He was enjoying it and learned a ton in the process.

Q: You feature trumpet on “Bystander,” “Here,” and “On My Own.” How did having Andrew Bedard on trumpet help elevate those tracks sonically?

A: My friend Andrew Bedard shocked me with his ability to play the trumpet. We were playing a Christmas thing together a few years ago, and his ability to improvise and play with confidence was incredibly impressive. I asked him right away if he wanted to play on some songs of mine at some point just because of his talent. I didn’t have any other specific reason. I just knew it would be good no matter what he did.

Q: What plans do you have for shows this spring and summer?

A: We want to make it a point to play more shows this year. We have a show on May 4 at New Dodge Lounge with Strange Pains and My Time in the Arctic and one on June 12 with Talking to Shadows, The Nuts, and Petalwave at Sanctuary Detroit.

Q: What’s up next for new material later this year?

A: We’re planning to put together an outer space/conspiracy-themed EP this year. Whether that gets released this year is another question—only time will tell.