The Quarantined Unleash Seven-Minute Epic ‘Nemesis (friend of mine)’

The Quarantined dropped their latest single “Nemesis (friend of mine)” today, and at exactly seven minutes, it’s not your typical radio-friendly track. What started as frontman Sean Martin’s middle-of-the-night panic attack in 2012 has transformed into something much bigger—a sprawling meditation on grief, violence, and the choice to forgive.

Here’s the backstory: Martin woke up disoriented, caught in the grip of a panic attack. To calm himself down, he started writing what would become the song’s chorus. But that cathartic moment sparked something deeper. He began thinking about every person who’d ever wronged him—childhood bullies, toxic partners, fake friends. Instead of just venting, he turned those experiences into an exploration of how trauma shapes us.

“Nemesis describes the entire five stages of grief,” Martin explains, “and a story to enjoy while riding the rollercoaster of emotions that describes a timeline of common suffering in modern America, and also throughout history.”

The track itself refuses to fit neatly into one genre box. You’ve got pulsing guitar riffs colliding with hip-hop rhythms, while anthemic melodies weave through the mix. It’s rock and roll with a storytelling edge, balancing raw emotional intensity with surprising sensitivity. The band isn’t afraid to let the song breathe and build over its seven-minute runtime.

Recording at Nashville’s Blackbird Studios brought serious talent into the mix. Nathan Yarborough, who’s worked with everyone from Alice in Chains to Evanescence, handled production and engineering duties. The lineup reads like a rock all-star team: Jerry Roe on drums, Luis Espalliat laying down bass, Zack Rapp from Dream Theater contributing lead guitar and violin (yes, violin), with Martin handling vocals and guitar.

What’s compelling about “Nemesis (friend of mine)” is how it tackles the darker corners of human relationships without getting preachy. The song wrestles with that primal urge for revenge while ultimately landing on something harder—accepting that forgiveness might be the only way forward. It’s personal enough to feel authentic but broad enough that anyone who’s dealt with betrayal can find themselves in it.

This single is one of five tracks The Quarantined recorded during their Nashville sessions, all slated for their upcoming album “Aversion to Normalcy.” If the rest of the album carries this same mix of emotional weight and musical ambition, fans are in for something special.

The timing feels right for a song that digs into collective trauma and personal demons. After years of global upheaval, there’s something cathartic about hearing a band tackle these themes head-on, without sugar-coating or easy answers.

“Nemesis (friend of mine)” hits all streaming platforms today. For a seven-minute track in an era of shrinking attention spans, it’s a bold move. But The Quarantined seem less concerned with following trends than with creating something that resonates on a deeper level. Sometimes the best art takes its time, and this track earns every minute.

Stream the new single on Spotify and follow the band on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.