Weekend Picnic’s “Empty Bottles”: A Story Of Coping With Loss

Have you heard Weekend Picnic’s latest song “Empty Bottles” or seen the video for it yet?  No?  Well, I highly recommend you check them out. But first, get yourself tissues.  A lot of tissues.  Like a whole box.  You’ll need them. I’ll explain more later.

This is not the first time I’ve written about this incredibly talented band from Minnesota, so I won’t get too much into their history.  Weekend Picnic members include:  Ehren Thomas (lead vocals); Drew Morrisette (drums); Ben Valle (rhythm guitar); and Patrick Bangasser (lead guitar and screams). The band was founded by Ben in 2019.   

“Empty Bottles”, which dropped May 2nd and was produced by Jeremy Schaeffer of All Poetic Audio, is different than most of the songs Weekend Picnic has been releasing since last March.  It’s a melancholy ballad about the pain of losing a loved one and how it can cause someone to spiral out of control because they don’t know how to cope.  As sad as it is, “Empty Bottles” is also a beautiful song.  It is definitely one of my new favorites by Weekend Picnic.

Weekend Picnic’s writing process is generally the same for all of their songs. Ehren writes the lyrics.  Usually Ben will have the instrumentals ready, and Ehren writes the lyrics afterwards.  This sometimes changes as they discover something new to add instrumentally, and sometimes Patrick or Drew will give input on their parts, but that’s mostly how they create their music.

As with all of their recent releases, Ben was the man behind the music video for “Empty Bottles”.  At first it’s only Ehren in the video, but then his bandmates appear in the middle. They look almost ghost-like, like visions in someone’s imagination.  Ehren shared with me that, especially with the song being so vocally driven, Ben had the idea to just have him in the video, but then to have a little surprise with the rest of the guys in it during the bridge where the song picks up into a soft-breakdown. 

Ehren Thomas

Ehren said, “We shot the closeup indoor shots at Patrick’s house, and the outdoor stuff is at a big field close to my house. It was pretty sweet being able to use Ben’s drone for the first time in one of our videos.”

Ben Valle

He continued, “Ben and I kind of put our heads together for the video. I really like how Ben implemented glass bottles briefly in the video and the wall panels were pretty sick mimicking a shattered effect.”

Patrick Bangasser

“Empty Bottles” is a lovely song. I love the piano parts, which are played by Ben.  Despite being not quite as heavy as other songs, it has the stellar guitar riffs by Ben and Patrick and Drew’s powerful drumming that Weekend Picnic is known for.  As always, Ehren’s vocals are superb and portray what he was feeling when he wrote the song.

Drew Morrisette

The video is thoughtful and provokes the person watching to reflect on the emotions this song brings out.  Ehren shares that the meaning behind “Empty Bottles” is open-ended and he wants the listeners to get their own interpretations from it, but he did have something specific he wrote the lyrics about.

“One of my closest friends lost someone very close to him and I wrote it in honor of him and his journey being lost in addiction trying to cope with the loss,” Ehren shared. “He’s doing very well now and I am extremely proud of him and how he was able to pull himself out and become a better version of himself in his sobriety.”

On a personal level, this song really struck a chord with me the first time I heard it and continues to do so whenever I listen to it. My father passed away in May 2024.  It was a hard loss for me, because even though he was in his mid-80s and had multiple health issues, the pneumonia that took him from us came on unexpectedly and he passed within a few weeks of getting sick. Dad had lived with me and my boyfriend, Mike, since 2013.  He was my best buddy and I still miss him every day. Ehren recently lost his father, also.  Even though “Empty Bottles” wasn’t written about that specifically, I know Ehren understands what I’ve been going through, and I want him to know that his music helps me so much.  I hope writing and creating his amazing music helps him, too.

Weekend Picnic is always working behind the scenes on new music and videos. They also have some great content on their socials and their music videos are really well-done, so check them out.  You can follow Weekend Picnic on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and the band’s website.

Review written by: Annie Schlottman

"Empty Bottles" lyrics: How can I ignore these thoughts When they’re all I’m thinkin? Doctor, doctor can you numb All of the pain I’m feelin? I drown my sorrows Like no tomorrow I’m nothing without You Tell me how does it feel When I take our pictures off the wall Tell me how to feel nothing at all Like these empty bottles I breathe in Breathe out Like I’m too young to give up the ghost I’m drinking Sinking Desperate to free it So turn me over And pour me down the drain I’m empty without You Tell me how does it feel When I take our pictures off the wall Tell me how to feel nothing at all Like these empty bottles And the bottles will shatter and form Like a stained glass of our past Tell me how can I feel at all When I’m left this hollow?