Song Premiere: Terrible Things, “Last Look”

(Photo: Ryan Russell)

It’s time to stop thinking of Fred Mascherino as “that guy who used to be in Taking Back Sunday.” Since leaving the band in 2006, he’s been a whirlwind of activity, filling in on bass for the Lemonheads and releasing solo material under several different names. Lately, he’s been focusing most of his attention on Terrible Things, the alt-rock supergroup he formed in 2009 with Hot Rod Circuit’s Andy Jackson and Coheed and Cambria’s Josh Eppard.

Jackson and Eppard left the lineup left last year. Instead of finding new members, Mascherino decided to record the band’s next record on his own. Due out next month, was produced, engineered, written and performed almost entirely by Mascherino, who describes the songs as “Led Zeppelin and the Beatles mixed with ‘90s grunge-pop.” One of the only cameos occurs during “Last Look,” a power ballad featuring guest vocals from Balance and Composure’s Jon Simmons.

“This was my first time playing mandolin,” Mascherino says of the song, “and I really love how it went with the 12-string guitars. The keys on the band section remind me of old Smashing Pumpkins. A few different things came together nicely with this song, and of course, Jon brought a vibe that just made it for me. The lyrics are a bit dark. A man’s wife is in the hospital bed. He can’t help but feel that he did something to cause her pain. He’s trying to tell her how thankful he is, but she’s unresponsive. It’s a really helpless feeling I was trying to paint there.”

Look for Pre-Transmission on December 11th.