Public Works NJ Steps Into Spotlight With “Hate Who You Love”
October 9, 2025
On September 26, 2025, New Jersey indie collective Public Works unveiled their latest single “Hate Who You Love”, a track that fuses raw emotion with a sharpened sound. Coming from a band steadily carving out their presence in the Northeastern indie rock circuit, the release marks both a continuation of their storytelling sensibility and a bold expansion of their sonic identity.
The title alone — “Hate Who You Love” — is an open invitation into contradiction. It captures that knot of human experience where desire collides with resentment, where affection sours into frustration, yet never fully disappears. Public Works thrives in this tension, giving voice to feelings that are familiar but difficult to articulate. The track positions itself not just as another indie single, but as an anthem for anyone caught between heart and mind.
Sound and Production
Produced and co-written by Chris Forman (@chrsfrmn), the single delivers polished textures without sanding down the band’s edge. Crisp guitar lines snake through steady bass, while drum work — credited to a collaborator deeply embedded in their live shows — gives the track urgency. The result is a song that carries enough punch for sweaty basement venues, yet feels at home on curated streaming playlists. It’s a sonic step forward for Public Works, more refined than earlier recordings but still retaining the rough honesty that drew listeners in the first place.
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Themes That Hit Close
Lyrically, “Hate Who You Love” doesn’t shy away from paradox. The verses unravel the ambivalence of relationships where intensity burns both ways: attachment and detachment, intimacy and distance, longing and loathing. Instead of resolving the contradiction, the band leans into it — making the song resonate with listeners who know love is rarely straightforward. This refusal to simplify the messy spectrum of emotion is what makes Public Works stand out in a crowded indie landscape.
Visual Storytelling
To complement the track, the band released an official music video on YouTube. Shot with a sharp DIY aesthetic, the visuals lean into stark contrasts: moments of closeness undercut by scenes of separation, imagery that mirrors the lyrical push and pull. It reinforces the ethos of the song — that love can be both a refuge and a battlefield.
Momentum Building
Public Works has been steadily feeding their audience, and they show no signs of slowing down. Hot on the heels of this single, the group has announced “Drywall”, slated for release on October 17. This back-to-back drop schedule suggests a band ready to expand beyond the local scene and stake a claim in the wider indie rock conversation. For fans, it’s a promising sign of a creative streak in full swing.
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