Brain Leak Dives Deep Into Emotional Chaos With Debut Single “Trying”
Brain Leak makes a striking debut with Trying, an emotionally raw track about attachment, obsession, and self-discovery. With members from Peaness, Orielles, and Working Men’s Club, the Manchester-based band is set to shake up the indie scene.
NEW RELEASESNEWS
MADDI DUARTE
2/6/20251 min read
Manchester’s nu-riot grrrl newcomers, Brain Leak, are kicking down the door of vulnerability with their raw and open-hearted debut single, Trying. Fronted by singer-songwriter Tara-Gabriella Engelhardt, this project is as much a personal excavation as it is a sonic gut-punch. Wrapped in hazy, melancholic guitars and emotionally charged vocals, Trying captures the intoxicating highs and gut-wrenching lows of attachment, obsession, and the struggle for balance.
Engelhardt, a Cardiff-raised French/US national now immersed in Manchester’s industrial charm, is no stranger to musical exploration. As a member of Adjustments, she’s honed her craft, but Brain Leak offers something even more intimate.
At its core, Trying is an emotional confession set to the backdrop of grunge-tinged indie rock. “I remember writing the song almost in one go after a Narcotics Anonymous meeting,” Engelhardt shares. “I’d talked about the feeling of being on a seesaw—how I didn’t know how to just stay in the middle. It felt completely alien.”
The track’s distorted, dreamlike quality echoes influences like Hole and Mazzy Star, blending intensity with a sense of floating detachment. Engelhardt’s voice moves from delicate to desperate, embodying the turmoil of her lyrics. The song immerses listeners in the feeling of losing yourself in someone else, and the messy, painful process of trying to find your way back.
Watch the music video:
