Premiere: Dead Format Capture Chaotic Exit Wounds On “I Had Fun Once. It Was Awful.”
Sometimes the end can’t come fast enough. False promises stack up, communication falls apart, and bitterness settles in so deeply that you start to question if the light was ever really there at all. From there, it’s only a matter of time before someone bolts for the proverbial door; always too soon for one, never soon enough for the other. The one who leaves carries a heavy burden of doubt and unresolved emotion, a weight that only grows heavier with each step as they wrestle between keeping their eyes fixed ahead or sneaking pained glances back. Meanwhile, the one left behind is stuck sorting through the wreckage: of the messy relationship as well as all the pieces scattered in the wake of someone else’s departure.
This agonizing escape fuels “I Had Fun Once. It Was Awful.”, the new breakneck single from Richmond punk band Dead Format. Manic with its hardcore insistence and forceful with its pop punk hook, the track captures the emotional whiplash of an unresolved ending, a sonic burst of frustration and finality. Set for release on Friday, June 27th, this new song serves as the lead single for the band’s upcoming album, Forget What I Said…, their first full-length and second overall record, due out later this summer via Say-10. Today, The Auricular is excited to premiere the single with an exclusive stream below, along with a closer look at the thrilling intent behind the song.
Set against racing rhythms and rousing riffs, “I Had Fun Once. It Was Awful.” captures the chaos of coming to terms with a breakup that feels both inevitable and unresolved. “Calling all hands\ This is destined to end\ Listen to reason\ I can’t understand,” singer Austin Auandee broadcasts on the chorus, a rallying cry from a mind scrambling to make sense of something that unraveled too quickly, too sloppily, and too painfully. The track barrels forward with breakneck momentum, its sound charging for the exit while the lyrics linger in the wreckage, clinging to the sting of abandonment: “You turned your back on me\ And moved on with your life\ And now you’re here to see\ If everything’s alright.”
In true punk irreverence, the song’s title is lifted from a cantankerous meme that was popular over a decade ago, injecting a dose of sardonic humor into the mix. But beneath the ironic grin lies a very real emotional spiral, one where thoughts outrun the heart’s ability to process, scrambling to keep pace with someone who disappeared before the dust even settled. Auandee’s vocals brim with acrimony, fueled by that familiar urge to one-up, to walk away victorious… or at least louder. But victory never comes. Instead, the song embraces a harder truth: some endings don’t resolve. They trail off, echoing with the things left unsaid just like the hollering backing vocals in the song.
Dead Format is made up of five seasoned Richmond musicians, each with a deep history in the local scene: Austin Auandee (vocals), James Hoffer (guitar), Rick Maxwell (guitar), Wayne Pompey (bass), and Sage Maxwell (drums). Between them, they’ve been part of more bands than most can keep track of, spanning punk, metal, and experimental sounds. Among the more notable projects: Buzzard Dust, Caretaker, Charmer, Dealer, Diet Blood, Eliza Battle, Glossing, Heavy Is The Head, Humungus, Night Business, Pissing Contest, Postcards, Reptile Planet, Rough Age, Shotclock, Steelboy, The Human Timebomb, Tri-State Killing Spree, & Venomspitter. The depth of this collective experience fuels the talent behind Dead Format, channeling over a half-century’s worth of combined musicianship into punchy, fast-paced songs that feel loose and free, yet grounded by a clear command of their craft.
“I Had Fun Once. It Was Awful.” is the first new release from the band since their three-song contribution to Say-10 Records’ Get Stoked series in 2023, and it sets the stage for their upcoming full-length, Forget What I Said…. Out on August 15th, the new album follows the band’s acclaimed 2019 debut EP Write Your Own Story, an exhilarating record that bridged hardcore intensity with pop-punk melody. Few of the tracks from that EP return on the upcoming album in newly re-recorded form, rounding out a ten-song collection recorded with Pedro Aida at Audio Verite. A second single is also on the way this summer, helping to build momentum for a release that true punk fans won’t want to miss.
In the meantime, this new single gives listeners plenty to bite into, either as a surge of musical adrenaline to kick-start your day or productivity, or a cathartic message to loop until you can finally see past the wreckage, and find the path ahead. It’s loud, fast, and unapologetically raw… just like the feelings it wrestles with. And while it doesn’t offer easy answers, it’s a reminder that sometimes shouting into the void is its own kind of progress.
“I Had Fun Once. It Was Awful.” is available to stream digitally on Friday, June 27th, which you can pre-save now by clicking here. Follow both Dead Format and Say-10 Records on social media for updates on the next single and the full album release.
