Long Island, NY – Alternative acoustic rock band Phil Firetog Trio & Co. have released their new single “How A Heart Breaks,” an emotional, uptempo pop-rock track about dealing with grief and the memories left behind following the loss of a loved one. “How A Heart Breaks” is now available to stream and download on all digital platforms.
The track is equal parts powerful and reflective, blending energetic musical qualities with its sorrowful subject matter in a manifestation of heartbreaking, frustrated sadness. As the band’s frontman, Phil Firetog, sings emotionally charged lyrics like, “Why right here? And why right now? My heart breaks down on the street,” the sense of anguish and disorientation emerges as the first stage of loss. Heartache and despair fill the track’s vocals, creating a moving concoction of affection and melancholy. Yet, despite its mournful nature, “How A Heart Breaks” retains the intensity, spirit, and vitality of rock progressions and instrumental breaks in its commitment to keep someone’s memory alive long after they are gone.
Firetog comments on the deeply personal moment of envisioning and writing the track, sharing that it was written after coming to know that a friend and bandmate’s father had passed away. “This man was not only a father figure to my bandmate, but to all of us in the band. The morning I heard the news, I was in shock and could only think of picking up my guitar and playing,” he says. “The day was filled with memories of him and the overwhelming feeling of him still being present. It wasn’t until a walk later that evening that the true heartbreak set in.”
Shortly after debuting his solo EP, Portrait Songs, Phil Firetog expanded to a trio that is now Phil Firetog Trio. Formed in 2015, the band consists of Phil Firetog (lead vocalist/guitarist), Johnny “Pots” Potocnik (drummer), and Liam Gordon (bassist). The expansion of the trio to Phil Firetog Trio & Co. is Tye Granger (saxophone) and Gabriel Nekrutman (flute/clarinet/alto sax), and a rotating cast of characters that Firetog has added to the mix. Entertaining the industry’s toughest critics, Phil Firetog Trio debuted their first EP, Circles, in 2017. Recently, the band released their fan-favorite single, “Fall,” the first track to include the “Company” performing alongside the trio, and followed with their holiday single “Long Island Christmas Eve.” Taking inspiration from iconic musicians such as Dave Matthews Band, John Butler, and John Mayer, the band continues to display its dynamic and transformative sonic work. The band’s works have recently been praised by NYS Music, The Long Island Sound, and V13.
“How A Heart Breaks” is a deeply emotionally charged manifestation of affection and grief, which does not forego the energy through which these difficult feelings are expressed. Speaking to the magnitude of connections and memorializing loved ones, Phil Firetog Trio & Co. commemorate this loss through a dynamic, passionate track. The group is set to perform five upcoming shows in Westhampton Beach, NY, and New York City, across February and March. You can follow Phil Firetog Trio & Co. on Instagram @PhilFiretogTrio and Spotify to keep up with their musical journey.