So Faint are back with a new single, and it lands with the kind of emotional weight that makes you want to play it again immediately. The Vancouver duo, featuring Hannah Georgas of Broken Social Scene and fellow musician Lyn Heinemann, released “Chain Chain Chain” today, and it’s a remarkable tune that builds on the promise of their debut single “Fully Slow.” The song is about staying committed to a relationship even when you know it’s broken. That’s the whole premise, and Georgas lays it out directly in her own words. “‘Chain Chain Chain’ is about choosing commitment while quietly knowing the relationship feels broken,” she says. “Not because there’s no love, but because love alone isn’t fixing what’s broken. It’s driven by history, loyalty, and the weight of having built something together. Staying becomes a choice grounded in commitment rather than desire.”
Chorus and Contradiction
The chorus is where the tension lives. Georgas sings about holy matrimony and being the one and very only, even as she admits that the relationship feels broken. The song revels in a love that is going to crash and burn, and it doesn’t hide that contradiction. She can feel everything all at once, and she can pin the moment when they should have run.
“Holy matrimony I’m your one and very only/ I feel everything all at once/ I can pin the moment we should’ve run.”
That final line is the crux. It’s a confession that the couple has already passed the point of no return, and the song plays with that tension throughout. The melody is big and ecstatic, but it’s properly tinged with melancholy, much like romance prematurely laced with heartbreak.
Georgas Explains the Song
Georgas’s explanation of the song’s intent is worth sitting with. She frames staying as a choice grounded in commitment rather than desire. That distinction matters. It means the decision to keep going isn’t about wanting to be together anymore, but about honoring what the two people have built together. It’s a mature perspective on a subject that pop songs often treat as simple heartache.
The trio of history, loyalty, and the weight of having built something together is the engine of the song. Those three forces hold the relationship together, even as the foundation cracks.
The Video
The music video for “Chain Chain Chain” was directed by Jordan Allen, and it adds a visual layer to the emotional core of the song. Without seeing it, the description suggests a contrast between the ecstatic sound and the melancholic reality underneath. That contrast is exactly what makes the song memorable.
The video is available to watch now, and it pairs well with the audio. Together, they reinforce the idea that the relationship is both beautiful and doomed at the same time.
The Debut Single
Their debut single “Fully Slow” established them as a duo capable of writing songs with real emotional depth. “Chain Chain Chain” continues that trajectory, but it pushes further into territory where the love is undeniable even as the future is uncertain.
The song is a step forward for the duo, who have built a reputation for writing about relationships with honesty and specificity. This single shows they can handle the harder questions too.
The Track Itself
“Chain Chain Chain” is a song about making a choice when the evidence points the other way. It’s about loving someone enough to stay, even when you know the love alone won’t fix what’s broken. That’s a rare combination in pop music, where the default is often to run away from problems.
The song’s big finale is a highlight. It’s the moment where the tension resolves itself, and the ecstatic quality of the music matches the lyrical admission that the relationship is falling apart. It’s a masterful construction, and it’s the kind of ending that stays with you long after the song stops playing.
The Album Date
“Chain Chain Chain” is out now, and So Faint’s full album, simply titled So Faint, is due out 10/16 via Beetle Bomb. The album will be the duo’s first full-length release, and it arrives with the momentum of a debut single that established them as a duo capable of writing songs with real emotional depth.
The label is Beetle Bomb, and the release date is set for October 16th. For fans who have been following the duo since “Fully Slow,” the album represents the culmination of their debut single’s promise.
Key Facts Box
- Single: “Chain Chain Chain”
- Duo: Hannah Georgas (Broken Social Scene) and Lyn Heinemann
- Video director: Jordan Allen
- Album: So Faint, out 10/16 via Beetle Bomb
- Label: Beetle Bomb
What We Make Of It
The strength of “Chain Chain Chain” is its refusal to simplify the situation. It doesn’t pretend the relationship is healthy, nor does it suggest running away is easy. Instead, it presents staying as a deliberate choice, one made with full knowledge of the damage. That honesty is what separates this song from the usual breakup narrative. Most pop songs about broken relationships are about the pain of ending things. This one is about the pain of staying.
“Chain Chain Chain” is a remarkable tune, and it lives up to the promise of the duo’s debut single. The song captures a moment of reckoning, where love and commitment collide with the knowledge that the relationship is failing. It’s a song about making a choice when the evidence points the other way, and it does so with a big, ecstatic sound that’s properly tinged with melancholy.
The video, directed by Jordan Allen, adds another layer to the experience. Together, the audio and visual reinforce the central tension of the song.
The album is due out on October 16th, and “Chain Chain Chain” is the perfect preview of what’s to come. So Faint have proven themselves with “Fully Slow,” and this new single shows they’re getting better with each release.
See the video the story is built around at Stereogum.
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