Buzzkill—the new project headed by Tate Logan (former frontman of Happy.)—didn’t come together overnight. Instead, the project has been quietly building and unfolding for more than a year, piecing together a sound and vision that feels inherently different from anything Logan has worked on before. Darkly romantic and more intentional with a little theatrical bite, but grounded in something deeply personal and very real.
“GRAVEYARD ROMANCE” is the first official window into that world. It unfolds as a groovy love song that doesn’t water its intensity and fun down for the sake of palatability, but instead, leans fully into devotion, obsession, and the kind of romance that feels eternal. Released today, Friday the 13th, one day before Valentine’s Day, the track plants the flag for Buzzkill to express emotions that are otherworldly, and creates a space that you can step inside and feel yourself.
Hear “GRAVEYARD ROMANCE” live on idobi Radio in heavy rotation.
When did you first begin to conceptualize and write “GRAVEYARD ROMANCE”? What was happening in your life that allowed you to write about such a deep-rooted, all-consuming love song?
I had just married my wife! Woohoo! We’ve been together since we were 16 years old, and in my vows, I told her that I really think that this isn’t the first or last time we will do life together. I think we’ve been together in a million, infinite other lifetimes and will continue to be. We joke all of the time that the concept of “til death” just isn’t enough for us and that we need to be buried in the same coffin when we die lmao.
This sparked the idea for me; it was like, “oh! We have a graveyard romance!” and then I wrote that down, knowing I wanted to build a song around the concept. Originally, in the demo, the chorus is exactly the same, but the verses I wrote were MUCH cheesier. When I brought the song into the studio and described my vision for Buzzkill altogether, Sam and Nick were like, “we gotta make this SEXY!” Which makes total sense. It’s hot to love your wife.
Most love songs have a commercialization linked to them that allows them to hit more mainstream, normie-style love stories, but you’ve tapped into arguably the greatest fictionalized love story of all time: Gomez and Morticia Addams. What about their love story resonated with you? What other macabre romance icons would connect with a song like “GRAVEYARD ROMANCE,” real or fiction?
As a queer person in a queer relationship, our love has never felt mainstream to me hahah. Because of all the difficult stuff we had to go through when we were younger to be together and “prove our love” to other people, our relationship always felt super intense. We were literally having to fight the world to be together. Gomez and Morticia Addams have this beautiful, intense, unrelenting love for each other. Even though they aren’t queer (except I know they’ve gotten freaky, let’s be real), I’ve always really admired the dedication they have to each other. Macabre aside, their relationship is so healthy and strong. They listen to each other, support each other, fight for each other, and ultimately would die for each other. It just felt so right to compare our love to that. It’s fucking iconic!!! Another macabre romance i’d say fit the narrative in “GRAVEYARD ROMANCE” would be Jack and Sally, but we all know that’s been said before 😉
How did you end up connecting with Nick Wheeler from The All-American Rejects to record “GRAVEYARD ROMANCE”? Walk us through how you connected, working with him in the studio, etc.
I met Nick way back in 2019 when our paths crossed for other music endeavors. We really hit it off and kept in touch over the years, mostly sending each other movie and TV show recommendations. (shout out to Nick for putting me on the show Six Feet Under, it’s now my favorite show of all time…imagine that lol.) I was writing a TON of music and wanted to get his opinion on things. Obviously i think he is a fucking legend and take his advice and notes very seriously. I called him one afternoon and was like, “hey..so..i’ve got all these songs and ideas, and i would love to get together and flesh them out.” He invited me to his place in Nashville, and we just clicked.
The songs I brought him were all acoustic demos. Lyrics, melodies, but no real ~band~ vibes, and that’s what I wanted. I’ve always played in bands and have always loved that feel to the music. I wanted it to feel big and loud, and I knew he could make that happen. We spent days hanging out, watching horror movies, and writing songs. We had such a blast that I came back a second time, and we did it again. What started as just a “let’s fuck around and see how this goes” turned into a full batch of finished songs that we were really stoked on. He’s just the coolest guy.
Do you feel like working with Nick allowed you to tap deeper into your own creativity and push “GRAVEYARD ROMANCE” to the next level?
100000000%. My favorite thing about Nick is that he is not afraid to push you harder. He was so supportive of my vision, but was not a “yes” man. That’s so crucial to an honest and trusting relationship when making art and being creative. He wasn’t afraid to tell me when something could be better, or laugh with (or at) me when something sucked, or cheer me on when something ruled. He wanted to get the best out of me, and I appreciate that more than anything. We had so much fun together, and I definitely consider him a friend, but at the end of the day, the respect I have for him and his ability to craft music is what I really took away from the experience.
Was “GRAVEYARD ROMANCE” always intended for the Buzzkill project, or did it transform itself for this project?
When I was writing the first batch of songs with Nick on the first trip to Nashville, I was just doing it for fun. I didn’t have a plan; it was purely to create and enjoy the process of creation. It was still early days, but I knew we had something special. I considered dropping this music as a solo project, but after doing the entire thing with Nick, that didn’t feel like the right move.
The second time we got together, it became super obvious to me that these songs deserved their own moniker and identity. Something new, fresh, and different from anything I had ever done in the past. It wasn’t just about the music either. I could feel the atmosphere I wanted to build around the music. There were choices I wanted to make aesthetically and build a world around them. I have always enjoyed the process of releasing music outside of JUST the music. I create all the album artwork, the visuals, the merchandise, etc., because I want to tell a story. This music needed its own story. “GRAVEYARD ROMANCE” was actually the very last song we did together, and it was the glaring indicator that this deserved its own project. Buzzkill was born out of it.
You couldn’t have picked a more fitting release date—Friday the 13th, one day before Valentine’s Day. “GRAVEYARD ROMANCE” feels tailor-made for couples who embrace the darker, more obsessive side of love. Was the release date intentional, or was it just a good opportunity?
It was intentional in every way. After wrapping up with Nick, I took the song to Neil Engle for mixing and mastering. Shout out to another legend! I had this song finished and ready before the new year and was looking at the calendar for the perfect day. I’m so obsessed with things like this, and when I saw there was not only a Friday the 13th coming up, but also being the day before Valentine’s Day, I was like, “no fucking way, dude, this is perfect.” It is a perfect mix of all the things about not only the song, but the project overall. As someone OBSESSED with horror movies and having a song about being morbidly devoted to the love of your life, it literally couldn’t have been more perfect.
Despite being your first official release with Buzzkill, you’ve been tirelessly working on the project for more than a year. What’s next for the project? What do you hope to accomplish and hope for fans to take away from the music?
In a world and culture where things move fast, I took my time with this. I’m a firm believer that it’s okay for art and creation to take time. Buzzkill for me isn’t about streams, or followers, or money…it’s about making something that i love, that i’m proud of, and that connects with people who enjoy the same things i do. I’ve been making music since I was a kid, and I feel like this is the first time I truly mean that. This is a passion project for me in every sense of the phrase.
There’s definitely more songs to come. They’re ready, I’m just waiting for the perfect moment. People can definitely expect an EP this year! Eek! As far as getting it out there in the world…i’m gonna keep making my fun, creative videos, hopefully play some sweaty shows in some divey bars, and see where it takes me. Buzzkill is for me before it’s for anyone else, but i’ll be ready and thrilled when that day comes. I love connection, and I sincerely hope Buzzkill connects with you reading this. Much love! Xoxo
