Free Throw’s “Better Have Burn Heal” Is Pure Catharsis

Free Throw are doing emo right. Hailing from Nashville, country music's capital, the five piece is releasing a new album May 26, called Bear Your Mind. Premiering today is a really special track off the record, "Better Have Burn Heal," which is, like all good emo songs, pure feeling and no whining. It's about lead singer Cory Castro's struggle with self-image — a topic not often broached by those of the cis male persuasion. "I just wanna love myself," Castro wails over climactic guitar chords, triumphant drums, and honey-flavored bass.

"’Better Have Burn Heal’ is a song about my struggles with body image, and to a degree body dysmorphia," Castro wrote in an email to The FADER. "After a time spent taking medication for anxiety issues, which as a side effect caused me to gain weight at a fast pace, I struggled with the changes in my body; I began to feel like I wasn't myself anymore. Even after dieting and working to get myself back to where I had been comfortable, I was never convinced I had made any progress and I wasn't happy with myself. I've really struggled with the way I feel about myself for quite some time, and writing a song about it made sense to me. Though the song has a specific meaning to me, I tried to write it in a way that anyone who has ever felt uncomfortable in their own skin can relate to. I know that a lot of people struggle with their bodies, their identity, or even just themselves in general; I've been there and I'm still learning to love myself to this day. I hope this song can help people who are also still learning to know that they aren't alone in that journey."

Listen below.