London-based duo Bleech 9:3 have shared their third single, “Cannonball,” a track that further cements their status as one of the most compelling bands on the rise. Comprising Dublin natives Baz Quinlan and Sam Duffy, the pair’s creative partnership began under the unique circumstances of a 12-step recovery program, where Baz served as Sam’s sponsor. Having moved to London in 2024, the band has already garnered significant acclaim from the likes of The Guardian, Dork, and Kerrang!, with their music serving as a vessel for the vulnerability and intrinsic understanding forged during their shared journey toward sobriety.
The band says:
“I think the vulnerability of those meetings helped us be a lot more comfortable with each other from the get go”
“Cannonball” was written at Sam’s house following a session of recovery work, capturing a pivotal moment of emotional awakening. The song dissects the realisation that a previous romantic fixation was a form of “bad worship,” finding a sense of peace and magic in the clarity that follows an ending. It is a raw, guitar-driven testament to the duo’s parallel lives and the creative purpose they found in building something special together while navigating the precarious early stages of a better life.
On the new single, “Cannonball,” Baz says:
“It was written down the back of Sam’s house one day after we had spent a few hours there doing recovery related work. To me it’s a reflection of how bad worship in the form of a lover had made love itself into something else, a moment of clarity is found at its ending which maybe shows the recovery work was doing its magic”
Sam Duffy recalls:
“I think to find someone your own age, with the same dreams as you, from the same city and is also suffering from the same thing… we knew immediately that we could help each other. You can lose your mind thinking about how rare that is.”
