What Remains

Album: What Remains (2024)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "What Remains" is a thunderous meditation on personal struggle, transformation, and the messy, marvelous process of self-discovery. Leigh Kakaty, the band's frontman, summed it up saying: "Over the years, I've been faced with torment - departures, failures, and uphill climbs. It takes a reckoning to strip us to our core and confront our true selves. What endures beyond these trials is who you are, your essence. That is what remains."
  • Produced by Cody Quistad, the track hits like a freight train, all churning riffs, blistering percussion, and a sonic wallop designed to rattle even the sturdiest earbuds.

    Known primarily as the guitarist for the metalcore outfit Wage War, Quistad has been amassing an impressive portfolio as a producer. His résumé includes collaborations with Falling in Reverse ("Zombified," "Watch The World Burn," "All My Life") and A Day to Remember ("Bad Vibrations," "Exposed" and "Justified").
  • Released in August 2024, "What Remains" not only introduces the title track of their eighth album but also marks the debut of drummer Blake Allison, who joined Pop Evil earlier that year, replacing Hayley Cramer. According to Kakaty, the album is the band's most "lyrically raw and sonically heavy" effort yet.
  • The song's cinematic music video, directed by Sam Shapiro, takes viewers on a visually arresting journey through the fragmented landscape of Kakaty's psyche. It's dark, intense, and just a little unnerving.

    Los Angeles-based director, producer, and visual content creator Sam Shapiro has a background in music photography, video production, and creative content. He has directed several short films, including Scissor Pass (2018), Scratch (2019) and Game Changer (2019).

Comments: 1

  • Garth from Middle EarthWhat it's like to be consumed by darkness.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

80s Video Director Jay Dubin

80s Video Director Jay DubinSong Writing

Billy Joel and Hall & Oates hated making videos, so they chose a director with similar contempt for the medium. That was Jay Dubin, and he has a lot to say on the subject.

Classic Metal

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.

Barney Hoskyns Explores The Forgotten History Of Woodstock, New York

Barney Hoskyns Explores The Forgotten History Of Woodstock, New YorkSong Writing

Our chat with Barney Hoskyns, who covers the wild years of Woodstock - the town, not the festival - in his book Small Town Talk.

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)Songwriter Interviews

Chad tells tales from his time as drummer for Nirvana, and talks about his group Before Cars.

Chris Frantz of Talking Heads

Chris Frantz of Talking HeadsSongwriter Interviews

Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz on where the term "new wave" originated, the story of "Naive Melody," and why they never recorded another cover song after "Take Me To The River."

Sending Out An SOS - Distress Signals In Songs

Sending Out An SOS - Distress Signals In SongsSong Writing

Songs where something goes horribly wrong (literally or metaphorically), and help is needed right away.