Hand Gestures – Justin’s Funeral (2025)
“In a world riddled with emojis, only certain ones are clear and decipherable. The ones we’ve been doing our whole lives. The ones that just come out naturally. The ones we rely on to speak without speaking. The Hand Gestures, of course.” – a line from Hand Gestures’ Spotify that so brilliantly captures communication, expression, and, of course, the core of music. Well, that’s for me at least.
Originally formed as the solo project of veteran musician Brian Russ, who was “itching to start something new…”, Hand Gestures began bubbling with creativity during those in-between periods of life – the moments you thank heavens for voice memo apps. Join by Sal Garro (drums), Bryan Bruchman (lead guitar) and Courney Smotkin on that “a friend of a friend of a friend” basis, Hand Gestures quickly progressed from a one-man show to four dudes making music.
Bringing together different influences and styles, the four seasoned musicians started releasing music this year, beginning with ‘Label The Labelmaker’. The most recent release is their self-titled album, which is actually two years in the making. Taken off the album, ‘Justin’s Funeral’ is penned, composed, and produced by Brian Russ; yet, while the tale is personal and intimate, the instrumentation takes that individual intimacy but uses the camaraderie of the group to really drive the message home. It’s as if Russ is at Justin’s funeral, with Garro, Bruchman and Smotkin holding his hand for support.
A sophisticated piece of alternative rock, the crashing drums match a soaring guitar, while the bold bass weaves across the song. Unlike tracks like ‘Cancel The Party’, ‘Justin’s Funeral’ is one of the more profound, poignant and somewhat heartbreaking, with a mellifluous but melancholy flow. A song of youth, loss, and the vulnerable quiet moments in life, Hand Gestures delicately unpick human fragility in ‘Justin’s Funeral’.
In addition to the single, Hand Gestures released an official lyric video for ‘Justin’s Funeral’. You can view the video below and/or on their YouTube channel. Please note that this video uses lighting effects that can trigger migraines and/or seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is recommended.
Find out more about Justin’s Funeral on their Instagram, Bandcamp, YouTube and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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