Riding a wave of critical acclaim over their recently (October 2025) released third album, Feels Like Hell, Portland, Maine based Weakened Friends will be rolling through Colorado in early February, with two shows. On Friday, February 6, they’ll be at the Hi-Dive in Denver. The next night, Saturday, February 7, they’ll wrap up their winter tour of the western US at Vultures in Colorado Springs.
The pop/punk/rock/grunge trio (Yeah, I know that’s a lot. But give them a listen, and you’ll understand.) made a splash with their debut album Common Blah in 2018. Quitter, 2021’s follow up, showed promise but was hindered by post-pandemic malaise and didn’t meet the band’s expectations. On Feels Like Hell, the band truly comes into its own, delivering ten tracks (not counting the brief interludes between tracks four and six, and nine and eleven) that highlight their growth and refinement as both songwriters and performers.
Fans along Colorado’s Front Range attending either or both of the February concerts can probably expect to hear the entire new album performed live. While it’s not certain, the band’s autumn tour setlists suggest there’s a good chance this will happen.
Earlier this week I connected with Sonia Sturino (lead vocals and guitar) and Annie Hoffman (bass, backing vocals) via Zoom. We talked about each of their early musical influences, and in the process shared a moment when we all acknowledged an affinity for early Avril Lavigne songs. Of course we talked a lot about the new record, and the couple shared with me a really interesting tidbit about the timing of their marriage. Read on…
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Rick: Thank you both so much for spending time with me today. Let’s start by talking about your earliest musical influences, or the things that motivated or inspired you to want to become professional musicians. Did you come from musical families? What led you guys down a path where you thought that maybe music would be the thing you wanted to spend your life doing?
Sonia: I started playing guitar when I was about 11 years old. Before that, I was really into sports, especially soccer, and was kind of just in that world. And I specifically remember, sort of slightly embarrassingly, but also not embarrassingly, for my 11 or whatever year old self, getting that Avril Lavigne record… her first record, Let Go, and it changed my brain chemistry. I was just like, oh, I want to do that. She looks like someone who’s not that much older than me, who’s playing music and dressing really interestingly, and is in a band. And not really, like, ultra feminine in any way, but just wearing baggy pants, and she’s Canadian, like me… I’m from Ontario. So I was like, okay, this could be me. I just saw myself doing that. And my dad, he’s a musician. So music’s always been kind of central. I was always listening to classic rock radio, and he’d test me with like, do you remember what this band is called, or what this song is? Just kind of like band trivia when we were driving around. He played guitar and had some gear at the house. So when I had my little, you know, renaissance in that moment of finding Avril Lavigne, I was like, Dad, I want to play guitar. He was like, all right, and he traded a bunch of his old equipment… some nice stuff I wish I still had… to get me started in lessons and buy my first learner guitar. And I really took to it… from that moment on creating stuff and playing music has always been something I find so much purpose in. Since then my musical tastes have expanded somewhat past Avril Lavigne, but that’s what kind of flipped the switch, and made me really dive into wanting to do the thing. I remember being in seventh grade and being super fucking obnoxious and being like, I’m gonna drop out of high school and join a band and tour. But I didn’t do that. I went to college and got a degree in history.
Annie: My parents are not musicians, although I feel like my dad would have made a great drummer. He loves music, and I feel like he always focuses on the drummer. But my grandparents had a grand piano in their house. Baby grand, and all I wanted to do was play that piano. My parents recognized our interests early on and encouraged us… I’m one of three girls to pursue music. So I played trombone in the school band, and then, shortly thereafter, started taking piano lessons. I went to a Battle of the Bands with my friend Lynn when we were probably in fifth or sixth grade, and I remember there was a band on stage that had a male singer and a female singer, and they were so good. I don’t remember what they were called, but I could not stop watching the bass player. He was, like, this cool dude in an orange tank top, and he played with his fingers like I do now.
Sonia (interjecting): Like a real bass player.
Annie: I could not take my eyes off him.. he looked so cool. And I didn’t even know it was a bass guitar. Then in eighth grade, my general music teacher, he usually played acoustic guitar, and the class would sing along. But one day he brought in a bass. I was a really shy kid, like pretty bad social anxiety. I was not one to raise my hand or put myself out there in front of the class. But he explained the instrument, and he asked if anybody wanted to try it. And I was like, me, me, please! So I just went up and I sat with that bass, and it was like the classroom disappeared. It was like a transcendent experience. I went home and told my mom that I really wanted to play the bass guitar. So, um, yeah, the rest is history.
Rick: Awesome backstories from both of you. And I’ve gotta say, Sonia, that when it comes to guilty pleasure type things, I’m not afraid to admit that I dig me some Avril Lavigne every once a while. I mean, there’s just something irresistible about that kind of edgy, pop music.
Annie: We still listen to it.
Sonia: Yeah, we still put it on. I feel like those first two records are still very catchy and good. And I like pop music, so I’m not even guilty about it. I love pop music, and I love pop production, and just that whole world is super fascinating to me. So yeah, I like a good hook. I like a catchy note.
Rick: I’m very familiar with the story of how you guys came together as a band, but for the benefit of those who might not be, I want to be sure to capture it in the piece I’m going to post. So do you guys mind giving me the Reader’s Digest version of how you came together as a band?
Sonia: So it started back in 2015. I was in another band, and so was Annie, in New England, and we played some shows together. I was writing some music that wasn’t, I guess, suited for the band I was in. I mean, it could have been, but for personality reasons it was not really working. So I decided to start writing new music, and do my own thing. I didn’t know if it was going to be a solo project or what it might end up as. But eventually I ended up with a body of songs that I was like, these are fun and just relaxed. At the time, Annie’s old band kind of just stopped being a band. So I thought to myself that I should start assembling people I would like to play with, or I’m excited to play with, and (turning to Annie) you were really good at bass. So I asked you to join, and you came up to Maine (from Boston), and our first rehearsals were really great.
Our original drummer was a good friend of mine, Cam Jones. He was the bass player of my old band, but he also played some drums. He was also my roommate, so it was a simple thing to do on, like a Tuesday evening… just practice and work on some songs. He was our drummer up until 2019 when we parted ways, and Adam (Hand), who was originally in that other band Annie was in, joined us.
Rick: When you formed the band, you guys weren’t together as a couple, but eventually you started dating, fell in love, and got married. When did you guys get married?
Sonia: We were married in 2017. It was a quick turnaround because – I’m gonna go on record here and you don’t have to even put this in there (the article) – but I’m an immigrant, from Canada, and I was living here, and we really did love each other, and obviously we’ve been together for almost 10 years now, but at the time, we were like, oh shit, it probably would not be good if I got deported. So we got married.
Annie: If it hadn’t been for the immigration thing, we probably would have waited like, another year.
Sonia: It wouldn’t have been long after, but I feel like getting deported… that would have been a weird flex in the story of this band and our relationship. So we avoided that. And yeah, here we are.
Rick: So let’s talk a little bit about the new record. I will tell you that it’s absolutely terrific, but I’m going to stop there, because I’m sure you guys just get sick of media people raving about your new record, right? You don’t need to hear about that anymore, right?
Sonia: I mean, like, yeah it’s great that people like it.
Annie: It feels good that it’s out, because when you’re making it and it’s just you… you have no idea. It’s the band, and the mix engineer, and just this small, insular group of people. And then it’s months and months and months, and then it’s finally free, and everybody can share it. It just still feels good.
Rick: Well, let me share something with you. Yesterday, I’m driving home from the gym, and I get a call from a buddy of mine. This is a guy who sometimes comes to shows I’m covering with me. And we’re talking about what I’ve got coming up, like in the next month and a half. I asked him if he was familiar with you guys, and he said he wasn’t. And I said, Oh, man, you have got to check this band out. I gave him the details on your show in early February, and on your new album. Then, late last night I get a text from him, and I want to read that text to you guys. Here it is… all in cap letters to start, “HELL YEAH. Love the vibe. Have listened to it a couple of times today, and just went online to buy three tickets. Looking forward to seeing you at the show.”
Sonia: Hell yeah. Well, thanks for spreading the word.
Annie: Yeah, seriously. That’s what it’s all about.
Rick: So seriously, guys, the new record is excellent. I really don’t know what to say other than it just seems like everything came together on this one. The songwriting, the playing, the singing… everything just came together to produce a really outstanding record. So I’ve gotta ask… from your perspective, how or why did this happen? I mean, obviously you grow and mature as a band over time. But the leap from Quitter (the band’s second album) to Feels Like Hell is just amazing.
Sonia: I was going through an extended period of what felt like writer’s block, and I didn’t really know what direction I wanted to take the band musically and creatively. And when you’re making a new record, you want to try something different, or do new things, and new sounds. Like I said, I’m a big fan of pop music, and I thought maybe it should be more poppy, maybe a little lighter. And it was kind of putting me in this place where I was, in a creative sense, kind of still, so to speak. Anytime I write a song, I just feel, to be honest, lucky… like something found me and put this idea into my head. I’m just like, a conduit for it. I’ll pick up a guitar, and some days nothing happens, and another day I’m just completely taken aback by the fact that, Oh, I just wrote this song, and this came together. At some point something just clicked. It was some time in 2024, and I thought, I just want to make a good rock record, and I just want to write songs that I like to hear. Then Annie came in as co-writer and helped curate getting the songs to the next point, where I might have been maybe lazy and left them. (Turning to Annie) And, you know, you were fine tuning things with me, and it was nice.
Annie: You had written “Queen Of Town,” and that was a really good one.
Sonia: Yeah, that was like the North Star. But even after that one… “Queen Of Town” came up and then, like, nothing for months and months and months.
Annie: But we had that as like a touchdown… like that’s what the record wants to be.
Sonia: Yeah, it was like a touchdown, which was nice. You always need that touchdown… that one song that sets the direction, and tells you what it’s (the new album) gonna be. It’s gonna be a rock record. And then understanding that this was what it was going to be, it was easy for me to be like, okay, I’ll just write rock songs. And then it just kind of clicked. We decided we’d just have fun making this record. Unlike on Quitter, which was just like this pandemic record that didn’t… I mean, I like some songs on that record for sure, but it just didn’t quite feel as locked in as the new record. And again, I just feel lucky that the songs came to me. I feel lucky that Annie was there to help co-writing, and we got it to where it is.
Rick: I want to talk a little bit more about Annie coming in to help co-write. Up until this point, Sonia, you had done all the writing solo. So what happened to change that? I mean, Annie, did you push for it? Or did Sonia invite you in? How did it happen?
Annie: (Chuckling) It just kind of happened… there wasn’t any kind of formal invitation.
Sonia: We had a single called “Awkward” that came out in 2023, and I remember feeling really stumped on what the bridge should be. I have a really hard time writing bridges, which I feel a lot of artists probably do. I mean, if you’re good at writing a bridge, and you feel like that’s your bread and butter, and you’re gonna come in and just crush it, you’re not human. But anyway, I was stumped, and then Annie came in and helped kind of curate it. And I felt really good about that, because if it had just been me, I wouldn’t have wanted to go with those lyrics because I would have thought they were cheesy or vulnerable. But you (again, addressing Annie) were like, No, it’s good. Just go for it. If this is what you want to say, then say it. I liked that energy. And then similar things started happening with the new songs. I would have pieces of them written, but then the second verse just wouldn’t be quite there. And then the way we were demoing… we were starting to demo before I necessarily had all the lyrics and melody written, and you (Annie) were in the room more. And because we were sitting in the room together, I was able to hear you out on lyrical ideas and changes, and to tweaks things, and so we made better songs for it.
Annie: So, yeah, just the back and forth in a quieter room without a drum set. That back and forth became a really easy workflow.
Rick: Well, it’s a great collaboration, and it shows in the finished product. The new record has a noticeable edge to it. It’s apparent that there’s a lot of frustration and aggravation about things going on in the world that comes through in the music. But yet, I’ve read and listened to numerous interviews where you guys talk about the process of creating this album. About how positive and joyful and really easy it was. I’m really intrigued by the contrast between the emotions behind the music itself, and your personal experiences in creating it. Can you talk about that a little bit?
Sonia: Yeah, so I often think about, like, a protest, right? You have a bunch of people gathering and protesting, something that comes from a place of frustration and anger and outrage. But when you get there – and I’ve been to a lot of protests – it sometimes feel joyous. You feel good doing it, even in your frustration and your anger. It feels really good to see people come together for a cause and work together to have voices heard. In a lot of ways, creating music is that for me. It’s cathartic. You have these frustrations with yourself, frustrations with the world around you, frustrations with relationships, both personal and on a bigger scale, and then you create these stories that speak to those feelings. The actual creation part, the writing and the art, is incredibly therapeutic and feels really good. It’s what I’ve always found purpose in. And so having that space to kind of hash out these negative or sad or angry emotions in an artistic and calming and therapeutic way is what I think makes creating songs and writing music so interesting. And they are kind of like a form of protest, or a form of outspokenness. You’re sharing your story, you’re sharing your views, and that always feels good. And then it feels even better when you’re at a show and there’s people there, and they connect to the music as well. And again, I just feel so lucky to have been given the ability to do it. I mean, it takes a lot of work. It’s not like I just snapped my fingers and became good at music. But it’s like I was meant to do this, you know.
Rick: So bear with me on this, okay? I know that everybody asks you about the cover of “Torn” so I’m not going to ask you about it. But I do want to say, Wow! That’s a really great cover. You’re the second band I’ve covered in the last two or three months that has done a cover of “Torn”… recorded it, released it as a single, and is playing it live.
Annie: Who’s the other band?
Rick: It’s a terrific band out of Australia called Sons Of The East. Their cover is really different from yours, but still really nice.
Annie: Somebody sent me that to me. It’s more acoustic, right?
Sonia: Yeah, they played at the venue I work at.
Rick: Yeah, they’re very good, and they do a really nice job with that song. But man… when I heard yours I was just blown away. There’s so many great songs on your new record, but on any given day this could be my favorite.
Sonia: Thank you. It was really fun to do. I love that song.
Rick: Unfortunately we’re starting to run short on time. Before we go, I want to ask you about something I read on your website. Sonia, this one is for you. There’s a quote that’s attributed to you, where you’re talking about the new record. Here’s the quote. “It was really important to me, and it makes me feel so much better about this record, because I feel like I hear me. I’m not scared to hear myself. I’m not judging myself anymore.” I read that, and it just struck me as insanely powerful. Can you dig a little deeper into what you were talking about there, and what it means to you?
Sonia: I think it means everything. I’m at a point in my life where I feel that that’s a very true statement, but getting up to this point, it definitely was not, in many facets of my life. You spend a lot of your adulthood searching for what your truth is and who you are, and what you truly believe. I think that when you’re a kid, you actually know who you are, and you know what makes you, you. I fought for so long to suppress that inner child, to suppress that inner self, and to try to fit a norm or fit into an identity that didn’t necessarily feel like me. It caused a lot of anxiety, a lot of self-consciousness, a lot of envy and a lot of negativity in my life, which I feel held me back, both creatively and just as a human being. And now as an adult, in a very sound relationship, and being in a position where I’ve found inner peace, I’ve been able to really soul search and get rid of some of the defense mechanisms, and some of the masks or costumes I was wearing, and go back to that inner child. We’re all figuring it out, right? I went for a walk today, and I was thinking that my brain when I’m on a walk and I’m just daydreaming and thinking is the same brain I had when I was, like, 15 years old and doing this, it was the same brain I had when I was riding my bike at eight years old. And I feel the thought processes are almost the same… there’s just more information now. Every day, we’re still kids, we’re still figuring it out. So finding and feeling your true self and getting to where you’re just accepting it, and you’re accepting that voice in your head, is really nice. A lot of that comes through in my queer identity, as a gender nonconforming person. In a world that once wasn’t so easily accepting I naturally fought that inner self. Despite all the pushback and negativity we still see, the world has changed for the better in a lot of ways. Being allowed the peace and being allowed the space and the community has allowed me to feel that soundness and find that inner voice. And, you know, just be confident in it. And confidence is amazing. It’s great to be here.
Rick: That’s terrific, Sonia. Thank you so much for being willing to share those thoughts with me, and with my readers. Sadly, we’re out of time, but before we wrap, I do want to ask if you’re okay with me including the whole deportation conversation in my article. I know you prefaced your comments that I don’t have to put them into the piece, and I certainly don’t want to put you on ICE’s radar or anything.
Sonia: Well, I (hesitates, then laughs)… whatever. That’d be funny. ICE shows up at a Weakened Friends show. It blow us up with the best press we’ve ever gotten. So yeah, you can put it in there. It’s my story.
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Weakened Friends is Sonia Sturino (vocals, guitar), Annie Hoffman (bass, vocals), and Adam Hand (drums). They’ll be playing Denver’s Hi-Dive on Friday, February 6, and Vultures in Colorado Springs on Saturday, February 7.
You can get tickets for Weakened Friends’ two Colorado shows at either of the venue’s websites (Hi-Dive, Denver, Vultures, CO Springs), or at the band’s website (Weakened Friends Tour). On both nights, Weakened Friends headlines a lineup that includes opening acts Team Nonexistent and Queen Frog. I will be at both shows, cameras in tow. As always, if you see me, come chat me up before or after. I’ll be doing a single article that covers both shows, and if you give me an AWESOME quote, you might just get your fifteen minutes.
Story by Rick Witt www.rickwittphotography.com
Photos used by permission
