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.
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