Photo courtesy of the Windish Agency

There’s an underlying sadness in “Weak in the Teeth,” the woozy new single from Michael Johnson’s psych outfit Ape School, that you can’t help but empathize with. Lines like “I complain but who wouldn’t” and “[I] felt the pain and withstood it” might have an overbearing moodiness when written out, but they’re delivered with a dryness that feels oddly relatable in this low-key synth ballad. “Lyrically, it’s about choosing those true friends who buy into your specific line of bullshit,” Johnson says about the tune. “They’ll be the ones who attend your memorial.” Every now and then, it’s helpful to be reminded of this truth, especially with such poise.

Ape School’s new album Junior Violence is out August 7 on Hometapes.