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Photo: Hunter Moreno

Ahead of tonight's performance at Madison Square Garden supporting Blink-182, LA rock trio Beauty School Dropout are sharing their explosive new single "dying to be you." The high-energy track, released in conjunction with Mental Health Awareness Month, marks the prolific band's second release of the year following their alt-dance anthem "FREAK," featuring jxdn. "dying to be you" was written about the band's struggles with mental health and a constant desire to be someone or something else.

"dying to be you" opens with a flurry of angst-fueled guitar riffs and seething vocals. Lead singer Cole Hutzler paints an emotional scene with gut-wrenching lines like, "But when I'm all alone, and the curtains close / I look in the mirror, and I'm self-loathing," striking listeners right in the feels. On the climactic chorus, bombastic guitars, thrumming bass lines, and crashing percussion fill the air as Hutzler wrestles with their inner demons. He realizes he's been "Holding my breath until my face turns blue / I've got blisters on my fingers and a callus on my heart," asking himself if he's been killing himself to be someone else.

"As if that would make the problems go away," says the band. "The fact of the matter is life is a game where you have to play with the cards you were dealt, and this song is the realization of that truth."

The new single comes in the midst of BSD's 11-day arena run with Blink-182 and Turnstile—the first wave of a packed summer that will see the band touring EU and playing multiple sold-out shows and festivals across the US, including Lollapalooza. According to the band, fans can expect a video for "dying to be" you and more new music from the band this summer!

Listen to "dying to be you" below: