There’s the universal pain of making the wrong decision and living with it. On their upcoming sixth album Ånomåly, out October 2021, Fuel explore the varying depths of regret on their first single “HÅRD.”
Videos by American Songwriter
“I hear people saying, you know, I just wanna have a life of no regrets,’” says guitarist Carl Bell. “Well, good luck with that. I understand the sentiment as a goal, but you aren’t going to make the right decision every time, and sometimes you may not know if you made the right decision for years or where the road not taken might have led you.”
Recently reunited with primary songwriter Bell and original drummer Kevin Miller, who parted ways with the band in 2004, Fuel’s current lineup features new singer John Corsale, guitarist Mark Klotz, and bassist Tommy Nat.
“HÅRD” is the first taste of the renewed Fuel and a follow-up to the band’s 2014 release Puppet Strings. To capture the visual elements of the song, the band shot the video in various locations on a sweltering, 100-plus degree day in Brooklyn, New York.
“I love a good storyline video but never liked how sometimes those types of videos can be confusing or detract from the music,” says Bell. “Many things have to happen correctly to pull off a video and sometimes the more moving parts and scenarios, the more things can go wrong. We just wanted to keep this video simple and honest and focus on the music.”
Bell adds, “As our former tourmates Aerosmith said, ‘let the music do the talking.’”
On the edgier of the 10 tracks of Ånomåly, Bell says he wanted to push Fuel’s sound, incorporating more drum loops and other elements for a more modern effect.
“I wanted to keep one foot in the past for our fans but have one foot into somewhat new territory,” says Bell. “When I was writing, producing, and mixing the record, I was thinking ‘what do I want Fuel to sound like in 2021.’ I think ‘HÅRD’ and the other songs on the album paint a really good picture of that, and from the feedback, we are already getting, it resonates. It’s a really interesting time for Fuel.”
