Nick Valensi, Aziya and Mr Hudson Release 'Scream Your Name' on New Label Sick

The Strokes' guitarist Nick Valensi, producer Mr Hudson and singer-songwriter Aziya have released "Scream Your Name," the second single from the newly launched record label Sick.

The track is a lovelorn jaunt backed by thumping rhythms and a haunting distorted guitar. Aziya calls the song an "ode to the push and pull of a relationship you absolutely shouldn't be in."

"When Nick, Ben and I went into the studio, I genuinely told them I just wanted to experiment and explore, without feeling like there was some huge professional agenda behind the song," Aziya said in a statement.

What is the song about?

Lyrically, Aziya wanted "Scream Your Name" to "feel ironically fun too, despite describing a relationship that's extremely unhealthy."

"I think this song is the saxophones or the calm before the storm, that just gets louder and louder until you either finally call it quits or go in again for round 10," she added.

"Ben" refers to Mr Hudson, the British producer and songwriter who has worked with Kanye West and Jay-Z, and who completes the trio behind the single.

Who runs the label Sick?

Sick was founded by Carré Callaway, the musician who performs as Queen Kwong, alongside Darian Zahedi and Nick Hinman. The label released its first single, "PULS.zip," in September, pairing Lee Kiernan of IDLES with Tokyo-based artist RIS-707.

The label's model is deliberately unconventional. Sick aims to bring established and emerging artists together across different generations, genres and cities for collaborative singles, without restrictive long-term contracts. Both independent artists and artists signed elsewhere are welcome.

"I want Sick to foster a community and a scene," Callaway recently told Flood Magazine. "I want it to help get us back to grass roots, to find agency and support from fellow artists, and realize complaining isn't helping. As artists, we've got to save ourselves and each other."

Will the model work?

Callaway is candid about the uncertainty of launching a label in the current music industry.

"People keep asking me how I know Sick is going to work," she said. "And I keep saying, 'I don't know. It's the music industry. Nobody can know anything these days.' But we're artists and every good artist has to take risks. We're shooting our best shot with Sick."

With Valensi now on its release schedule alongside Kiernan and RIS-707, Sick's first months suggest the label's cross-generational, contract-free pitch is already attracting established names — and each new single will test whether artist-led community can substitute for traditional label muscle.