We Speak Rock

Ian McFarland Shares “Problem Child,” a Frantic Indie-Punk Single About Sabotaging Your Own Life

Published

2 days ago

November 13, 2026

Ian McFarland in blue light beside a mannequin during the DIY warehouse video shoot for "Problem Child" in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn indie punk Ian McFarland turns self-sabotage into a rage room on “Problem Child,” a gritty, overdriven new single and DIY warehouse video out today, November 13, 2026, following his debut Summer Rain EP.

Praise for Ian McFarland

“Having shaped an artistry built on earnest lyrics, conversational storytelling and soaring sonics, Ian McFarland continues to tap into connection and isolation in modern city life across each new release” -Earmilk

“Soaring guitars, conversational lyrics and dense vocal harmonies carry reflections on unemployment, changing identities, romantic near-misses and the contradiction of loving New York while questioning whether it still supports the people sustaining its creative culture.” -FAME Magazine

“Think the communal highs of Edward Sharpe, the layered textures of Grouplove, and the emotional immediacy of early 2000s pop-punk, reassembled into something that feels deeply personal.” -Mystic Sons

Brooklyn-based indie punk musician Ian McFarland writes about his life and experiences in New York City as an artist. This past summer McFarland released singles, “Coffee Shops and Modern Rock,” written about his experience as the creator and host of ‘Scaries’, a recurring event on the Lower East Side that has become a gathering place for New York’s indie music community, and the emo-tinged indie rock anthem “Leaving New York.” McFarland followed up the singles with the release of his debut EP, Summer Rain.

Today, Ian McFarland shares new single, “Problem Child,” a frantic indie-punk single about recognizing that you’re the one repeatedly sabotaging your own life. Rather than apologizing or attempting to change, McFarland channels that realization into a musical rage room, fueled by gritty, overdriven guitars, relentless energy, and an explosive melodic guitar solo that showcases his technical dexterity.

“Problem Child” is about being fucking pissed,” McFarland shares. “At yourself, at other people, at the mistakes you keep making over and over again. I wanted the song to feel like a rage room, like smashing everything in sight in blind fury rather than sitting around trying to make sense of it. It’s one of the more intense songs I’ve written and recorded, and there’s this ridiculous guitar solo I had so much fun writing, where I really got to let loose. It’s melodic and uses some nerdy tensions like a nice tritone section that I’d attribute to a guitarist like Synyster Gates.”

The track marks a louder, more confrontational direction for McFarland and will serve as the theme song for Garrison Lovely’s upcoming anti-AI podcast, Organize Against the Machine. A former McKinsey whistleblower and author of Obsolete, Lovely is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in cover stories for The Nation and Jacobin, with bylines in The New York Times, Nature, BBC, The Verge, TIME, and Vox. Lovely explores the impact of artificial intelligence on workers and creative industries through the podcast. When Lovely approached McFarland looking for music with the energy of Rage Against the Machine, McFarland recognized that while “Problem Child” wasn’t directly influenced by the band, it carried a similar sense of anger. Lovely connected with the track, which will feature prominently throughout the podcast as its intro and outro music and during playback.

The accompanying DIY music video was filmed in a Brooklyn warehouse, filled with smoke and mannequins and elaborate lighting all done DIY by the band and long-time videographer Aleksei Postnikov. Made for just a few hundred dollars to rent the space, the music video for “Problem Child” captures the same chaotic, unrestrained energy as the song itself.

Driven by gritty, overdriven guitars and a blistering melodic solo, “Problem Child” transforms self-sabotage and frustration into an explosive punk anthem.

“Problem Child” by Ian McFarland is out November 13, 2026.

Summer Rain Tracklisting

1. “The Booming Business of Missed Opportunities and Heartaches”
2. “If the Sun Never Came Up Again”
3. “Coffee Shops and Modern Rock”
4. “Leaving New York”

Live Dates

10/16 – Bootleg Bar – Bushwick, NY
10/17 – New York, NY – Sugar Mouse, NY
10/23 — New York, NY – Sugar Mouse
11/6 – New York, NY — Sour Mouse
11/13 – New York, NY — Sugar Mouse
11/14 – New York, NY — Sour Mouse
11/28 – New York, NY— Sugar Mouse
12/5 – New York, NY— Sugar Mouse
12/11 – New York, NY— Sour Mouse
12/18 New York, NY — Sugar Mouse

Ian McFarland Bio

Ian McFarland is a Brooklyn-Based indie songwriter originally from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, whose music explores the tension between connection and isolation in modern city life. Blending soaring guitars, earnest lyricism, and conversational storytelling, his songs draw equally from early 2000s alternative rock and modern indie, pairing anthemic hooks with deeply personal lyrics.

His recent releases have earned editorial support from Spotify (New in Punk, Today’s Punk) and Apple Music (New in Rock, New in Alternative), alongside airplay across North America and chart success on college radio. His single “Summer Rain” debuted at #189 on the NACC Top 200 and spent four weeks on the Roots Music Report Top 50 album charts, peaking at #3 on both the Pop and Singer-Songwriter charts. McFarland has also received coverage from the UK’s FAME Magazine and a video premiere on Chorus.fm.

Beyond his recording career, McFarland is the creator and host of Scaries, a recurring live-band karaoke residency in Manhattan that has become a gathering place for New York’s independent music community. The residency now hosts regular Friday and Saturday shows at Sugar Mouse and Sour Mouse. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, he continues to build a growing audience through energetic live performances and songs that find hope, humor, and nostalgia amid life’s transitions.

EMPATH, Built From Volbeat, Rising And Anti-Ritual Members, Drop Their Self-Titled Debut Album

Published

16 hours ago

November 14, 2026

We Speak Media

EMPATH's four members in a black and white portrait against a dark background

Copenhagen has a new heavy rock band with serious pedigree. EMPATH, formed by members of Volbeat, Rising and Anti-Ritual, have released their self-titled debut album today, November 13th, on Indisciplinarian — a dark and dreamy take on heavy rock built on atmosphere, melody and crushing dynamics.

EMPATH is the sound of a new, dark and dreamy heavy rock band from Copenhagen, Denmark — one that revolves around atmosphere, presence and empathy. The constellation may be new, but the four members carry solid experience from bands such as Volbeat, Rising and Anti-Ritual.

In a digital and efficiency-driven age, where humanity is increasingly giving way to mechanical coldness, EMPATH — as the name suggests — is about presence, empathy and humanity. This ethos runs like a common thread through the band’s self-titled debut album, released today, November 13th, 2026, on LP, CD, cassette and digital formats via Indisciplinarian.

Across nine songs, EMPATH blends elements of progressive metal, doom, sludge and post-rock into a sound that is as dreamy and melodic as it is heavy and riff-driven. The music was recorded live with producer Lasse Ballade (Halshug, Slægt, Eyes) at Ballade Studios in Copenhagen, with vocals tracked at Grapehouse Studios by Morten Grønnegaard. Ballade also handled mix and mastering, while the artwork was created by illustrator Jon Gotlev (Nohr).

The album was first introduced by the single “Waves,” followed by “Vessel,” both pointing toward the band’s balance of melodic clarity and dense, riff-driven weight. EMPATH plays its debut show on December 11th at Hotel Cecil in Copenhagen.

EMPATH Track Listing

1. In Absence
2. Waves
3. Vessel
4. In Formation
5. In Bloom
6. In Thought
7. In Dissent
8. In Memory
9. In Return

Before forming EMPATH, guitarist/vocalist Morten Grønnegaard played with Volbeat on the albums Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies and Seal the Deal & Let’s Boogie. Bassist Christian Qvortrup played in the epic doom metal band Rising, while drummer Jakob Krogholt toured and recorded with Anti-Ritual.