Joey Gardiner returns with cathartic new single Wounds

Rising indie artist Joey Gardiner returns with Wounds, a hauntingly introspective new single out today. Following the success of his brooding track Dirty Cigarette (I’ll Never Forget), Gardiner’s latest offering marks a profound sonic step forward, turning the emotional fallout of hardship and heartbreak into a deeply vulnerable act of restoration.

Wounds tackles the quiet aftermath of emotional trauma - the kind left behind by fractured relationships with others, or even the internal battles fought with oneself. At its core, the track explores a painful paradoxical state of survival: the feeling that despite physically pushing forward a part of you has quietly died inside.

Driven by raw, unflinching lyricism, the track relies heavily on expansive, immersive production to complement its emotional weight. Gardiner meticulously crafts a slow-burning tension throughout the song, pulling listeners through dense layers of atmosphere before delivering an explosive, cathartic climax. Rather than lingering in pain, the track’s soaring outro serves as a powerful message of reflection, signaling that the time has finally come to heal.

“The song ‘Wounds’ is all about reflecting from the wounds you can get from traumatic emotional experiences - like relationships romantically or even from yourself,” Gariner explains. “I really tried to focus on the atmospheric side with this track to compliment the rawness and realism of the lyrics. Even though you are still alive, from all the hardships and experiences you feel like you somewhat died inside. I purposely wanted to build the tension with this track, which eventually leads into the climax where it acts as a message of reflection and that it’s time to heal from these wounds.”

Continuing his reputation for turning raw lived experience into vivid, resonant songwriting, Wounds highlights Gariner’s growing maturity as both a lyricist and producer. His willingness to lay bare his inner world, even its darkest corners, has previously earned him acclaim and radio support across BBC Introducing West, BBC Radio Bristol, BBC Radio 1’s Discover Live, and BBC Radio 5 Live. With Wounds, Gardiner offers his most courageous piece of music yet; a stark, cinematic anthem for anyone coming out the other side of emotional survival.