CHECKMATE Honors Late Sister On “FAVORITE SONG”

Checkmate honors late sister on powerful new single “FAVORITE SONG”

Waldorf, Maryland emo punk band Checkmate return with “FAVORITE SONG,” their most personal release to date. Out now, the track serves as a heartfelt tribute from vocalist Billy Beitz to his late sister, Kelly, who passed away in 2021 from an opioid overdose.

“‘FAVORITE SONG’ is about the emotions and guilt one might feel losing someone so close,” Beitz shares. “It’s a death that never had to happen. I want to use this platform to provide resources for those struggling and connect with anyone navigating these feelings alone.”

Produced by Paul Leavitt (All Time Low, The Dangerous Summer), the single marks a new chapter for Checkmate – one defined by growth, intention, and collaboration. The outro includes a surprise reprise of lyrics from “Bloody Legs,” one of the band’s earliest tracks and Kelly’s favorite, added secretly by best friend/bassist Tony and guitarist Sebastian as a tribute.

Since 2017, Checkmate have embodied the raw emotion of the DMV scene, blending punk energy with unfiltered honesty. “FAVORITE SONG” stands as their most powerful work yet – a cathartic ode to loss, love, and resilience.

ABOUT “FAVORITE SONG”

“‘FAVORITE SONG’ is a song for my sister Kelly. She passed away in September 2021 due to an opioid overdose. It’s not something I have ever talked about openly before. This is a song about the emotions and guilt one might feel losing someone so close to them. I am by no means good at reaching out to people or maintaining relationships. It is a huge thing I am working on in my life.

“There is a lot I wish I could have done and I would not wish this feeling on anyone else. It is death that never has to happen. This was the first song formed since her passing. It has been very difficult to create anything since. She was always the band’s number one supporter. I want to be able to use this platform to provide resources for those struggling and educate others about this issue. That affects not just the people close to me but so many others in America. I hope to connect with anyone else who may be navigating these emotions alone.

“As for the song itself we are so happy with how it turned out. We have been truly blessed to work with Paul Leavitt on the audio. We really focused on the quality of the recording process for these next releases and this is honestly the hardest we have ever worked on a song before.

“This is by far the biggest group effort of Checkmate compared to past releases. Our sound is evolving and I think our standards have raised drastically since the release of the self-titled LP and we’re all very excited to finally be able to show people what’s been taking so long.

“A short story about the outro: for those who have been following checkmate since its beginning you may recognize the lyrics from one of the first songs we ever released ‘Bloody Legs’ showing up in the outro of our newest release ‘FAVORITE SONG’. ‘Bloody Legs’ was Kelly’s favorite song of ours. One night we were playing one of our first shows in DC. It was to a bigger crowd than we’ve ever played to before so it was kind of a big deal to the band.

“At this time we were promoting our new self-titled LP and the plan was to play songs off of that album instead of the previously released EP that ‘Bloody Legs’ is on. This show was the first “real show” that Kelly got to attend of ours so of course I wanted to do my best. During a change of songs I remember she shouted ‘Bloody Legs!!’ wanting us to perform it.

“Through a perfect storm of nerves, not preparing the song, and being on stage in front of so many people I had completely forgotten how to play it! A song we had been playing for years! So of course I got shit for it after the show (from her and the band) and it had always been a funny memory to look back on with everyone.

“Since that show I had never gotten the chance to redeem myself. It may not sound like a lot but I’ve always felt guilty for fumbling that moment. What I like about this story is that it was never my plan to include the ‘Bloody Legs’ lyrics in our new song. I thought the song was finished. It was actually my best friend and bassist in the band Tony that had secretly recorded this with Sebastian (lead guitarist / audio engineer / day 1 homie) after I thought all of our tracking was done. I didn’t find out about it until we got the final mixes back from Paul.

“It was the perfect surprise. A perfect touch. The kind of stuff that makes music feel so magical makes everything make sense. I’m very blessed to be able to create music with my friends and be around such talent. I believe everyone should make art with their friends. What a feeling it is to be surprised like that. It could not happen in any other environment under any other circumstances. I am truly grateful for the ones around me.” – William ‘Billy’ Beitz

ABOUT CHECKMATE
Checkmate is a Waldorf, Maryland based emo punk rock band with shows around the DMV. Their music showcases the raw and unpolished social and emotional realities of this generation. Checkmate tracks echo self-loathing, yet anti-establishment themes. Checkmate’s subcultural approach has captured listeners who connect to the unrestrained and intense lyrics.

They have been producing music since 2017 with the 4 track album ‘how to bury your past’ and continue their discography with their 2021 EP ‘Magnolia’ available everywhere.

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