BUTCHER BABIES share new single 'Leaving California'
16-09-2026
BUTCHER BABIES release their new single and official music video, “Leaving California”, available now via Judge & Jury Records, a record label and production company founded by multi-platinum producer Howard Benson (MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, SEETHER, SKILLET, OF MICE & MEN) and Neil Sanderson of THREE DAYS GRACE. Produced by Benson, the track marks the fifth single from BUTCHER BABIES‘ new album, “Nightbloom”, due out October 2.
Shepherd shares: “The writing of this song began in July of 2020 as I saw my industry, family, and friends all one by one leaving California; a place I truly believed would be my forever home. I built my life there. I traded in my 20-year comfort of sandy beaches, ocean air, and the walk of fame for the big unknown. During that time, I wasn’t only breaking up with California, I was moving on from a life that I am so grateful to have experienced, but needed a change. I was leaving a relationship that gave me so much for so many years, but had run dry. On the drive out of town, I found myself humming this chorus melody into my voice notes, documenting in real time, my shedding of that skin. ‘Leaving California’ is about that bittersweet moment where new beginnings seem daunting, yet, oh so, exciting.”
Producer Howard Benson immediately connected with the song’s message. He said: “I really relate to Heidi‘s lyrics on ‘Leaving California’ .It’s very of the moment and timely, but the lyrics are also deeply personal. On the track, the band captures the conflicting emotions of the lyrics with their scorching performance!”
Heidi shares about “Lost In Your Touch”: “10 years ago, I watched the love of my life fall in love with someone else. I watched him fill my shoes with another girl’s touch. She slowly took my place in the late-night phone calls and early morning coffee. He replaced ‘us’ with her name on his lips. I bent between this new reality and the past that my body and heart so desperately wanted back.
“As I watched this unfold, I couldn’t help but wonder if they shared the same, deep emotional bond we once shared, and if ‘she gets lost in his touch like I do,'” she adds. “This song brings me back to those heartbreaking moments alone; reflecting, growing, and finding myself again. I don’t take a love like that for granted now. It’s special, and deserves to be put on a pedestal.
“Recording this song with Howard was really special. From the get-go, he understood the emotion and story behind the lyrics. We both knew this song was going to be special, and treated it with the emotional sensitivity needed to not just hear the song, but to feel it.”
“Nightbloom” track listing:
01. Lost In Your Touch
02. Sincerity
03. Blame It On The Wind
04. Broken & Beautiful
05. Are You Waiting Up?
06. Black Clouds Over Georgia
07. Fever In My Neck
08. Songbird
09. Leaving California
10. Black Dove
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