With their upcoming album Caveman Wakes Up lurking in the not-too-distant future like a zombie stalking an unseen corridor, Friendship share a new, Zach Puls–directed video for “Resident Evil.” Listen to the track wherever you stream music, and pre-order Caveman Wakes Up on CD or LP from the Merge store.

The song, another devastating work by songwriter Dan Wriggins, came to life while crashing at MJ Lenderman and Karly Hartzman’s North Carolina home in the summer of 2023 and is now one of the emotional centerpieces of Caveman Wakes Up, at once a calming drone in the dark and a searing bit of introspection.

Wriggins on “Resident Evil”:

I needed somewhere to stay in the summer of ’23, and Jake and Karly let me stay at a place they had outside of Asheville while they were on tour. The only guy around was (songwriter and drummer for the Wind) Colin Miller, and I would write all day and go over to Colin’s porch at night to drink and shoot the shit. I remember coming up with the refrain, “Who’s that shithead in my living room / playing Resident Evil” and Colin telling me it was a great line. It’s a bit of a stolen valor song; the only game I’ve played in the franchise is 7, and I played it on VR. Very scary.

Zach Puls on the video: 

I decided to shoot the video at my house by filming my roommate while he sat in front of an old TV with a VHS camera plugged into it and then sent out to a projector that shone back on him, creating visual feedback. He asked what we were doing and I told him I was making a music video for a song about a “shithead in my living room.” In all seriousness, Sunny is a great roommate and knowing Dan’s songwriting, the song is probably about more than that anyway. Our cat seemed pretty confused, but we tried to keep him out of it.

Following the May 16 release of Caveman Wakes Up, Friendship will resume their 2025 North American tour. Tickets for all dates are on sale now.

Friendship on tour: 
Jun 27 Hamden, CT – Space Ballroom*
Jun 28 Medford, MA – Deep Cuts*
Jun 29 Portland, ME – Space 538*
Jul 01 Kingston, NY – Tubby’s*
Jul 04 Montreal, QC – P’tit Ours*
Jul 05 Toronto, ON – Sound Garage*
Jul 06 Detroit, MI – Outer Limits*
Jul 07 Columbus, OH – Rumba Cafe*
Jul 09 Chicago, IL– Schubas*
Jul 10 Milwaukee, WI – Anodyne*
Jul 11 Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry*
Jul 12 Davenport, IA – Raccoon Motel*
Jul 14 Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern*
Jul 15 Pittsburgh, PA – Bottlerocket Social Club*
Jul 16 Washington, DC – Comet Ping Pong* 
Jul 18 Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s All Right~
Jul 19 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s~

* w/ 2nd Grade
~ w/ 2nd Grade and 22º Halo