The “song-infected-with-another-song” concept behind Iron Lung’s new centerpiece and triptych singles “Purgatory Dust” / “Virus” / “Purgatory Dust (Finale)” was one they had always wanted to try.
“At its core, ‘Purgatory Dust’ is about people not taking any precautions during the pandemic, causing even more of a spread and way more of a stupid panic,” Jensen explains. “Then we introduce ‘Virus’ in the middle of the tune and let it wreak havoc for almost too long. When ‘Dust’ comes back it deals with the fallout from infection be it death or long term illness. That behavior really freaked me out during Covid, probably because I have studied the Polio epidemic a ton over the course of this band and people behaved pretty much exactly the same way back in the 50s. The echoes of it are staggering really. Same idiocy. Same willful ignorance and hostility toward reason. Human nature is insane. I am surprised our species has lived this long.”
On Adapting // Crawling, the first new album in 12 years from hardcore / DIY vets IRON LUNG (duo Jensen Ward and Jon Kortland) take head shots at mental health with specific emphasis on the exacting tolls the past five years have taken on humanity.
From the beginning, Iron Lung have ethically / sonically approached the world: Do It Yourself, obscure, extreme, maladjusted and utterly free from the constraints of “music” or, more widely, rules in general. Each record has been written around a concept.
Adapting // Crawling arrives April 18 via the band’s own esteemed imprint, Iron Lung Records. In addition to the release and performances confirmed throughout 2025, Iron Lung celebrate the label’s 18th anniversary simultaneously with a three day fest – What We Like – which takes over Seattle April 18 – 20. The weekend includes 26 exceptional bands from all around the globe, most of them with releases in the Iron Lung Records fam, plus two films, an art show and local cuisine. The event takes over three venues – all shows, all ages. Tickets and more info are here. For a full list of live dates, see below.
