I lift my drunken voice.
I give my song to the night.
the fires burning now
we’ve no choice but to fight
After nearly a decade of “radio silence,” Merchandise returns with the new single “You Shot Me Down”. Issued via frontman Carson Cox’s newly established imprint Symbol + Sound, the track signals the long-anticipated arrival of the band’s sixth full-length album, which has been in development since 2019. Marked by chiming guitars and Cox’s distinctive baritone, the song underscores the band’s enduring ability to merge intimacy with widescreen ambition, despite years of geographical distance between its members.
“Here is a new song from wMerchandise called You Shot Me Down,” says Carson Cox. “I’ve been working on our 6th LP since 2019. It’s hard to say how long it should take to finish an album in the chaos of these past years but it’s coming soon, just not quite yet. All the same I wanted to share something, after a long time of radio silence.
He adds, “This is for the fans that, after all these years, still ask me for new music. Myself and my bandmates all live in different cities, we have different lives now but I still have more to say with this project. It’s a lot harder to make anything work now as we all know but I don’t feel like I should let it stop me. I know music can still open hearts.”
In the years since their previous albums on 4AD, including After the End (2014) and A Corpse Wired for Sound (2016), Cox has remained active with projects outside Merchandise. He fronts the industrial-punk outfit Death Index alongside Marco Rapisarda—known for managing Boy Harsher and The Soft Moon—and has explored a more synth-driven, noir-pop direction under his solo alias Romeo Blu. Meanwhile, guitarist David Vassalotti has issued solo work through Symbol + Sound (2019’s Guitar Dream), and bassist Patrick Brady has worked behind the scenes, handling tour management and sound for Nuovo Testamento.
“Merch ain’t dead, we’ve been slowly and steadily working on new material over the past seven years,” says David Vassalotti. “This is just a taste. Much more to come (LP perhaps). Life gets harder, getting together with friends to be creative gets harder (esp w/ a thousand miles in between), but it’s still so satisfying to collaborate with my brothers on this project 💓.”
“You Shot Me Down” serves as both a gesture to longtime fans and a declaration of intent. Despite distance, passing years, and the shifting terrain of underground music, Merchandise continues to create with purpose. The track shimmers with the crystalline jangle of Johnny Marr, anchored by Cox’s velvety baritone—more expressive and dynamic than ever, at times recalling the raw intensity of Jeffrey Lee Pierce of The Gun Club. It stands as a confident, resounding return after nine years of radio silence.
Listen to “You Shot Me Down” below:
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