London, UK-based alternative rock newcomers THIS LIFE have revealed another new single, ‘I’d Lie About Almost Anything’, with an accompanying music video. The track is out now on all good digital service providers.
The band are also pleased to announce that they will play their debut live performance supporting US alt-pop quartet Emarosa at The Craufurd Arms in Milton Keynes in January 2019, with further live dates TBA.
Based on personal experiences, the track and video are a candid and vulnerable plea to anyone suffering from mental health problems to overcome the stigma of asking for professional help, as front man William Ellis says: “Everybody needs help sometimes, and it’s time to ask for it. When I perform this song or look at the video it does make me sad, because it’s such a raw depiction of myself on display for all to see, but at the same time it’s a celebration to say ‘but I’m still here after everything’.”
Directed and produced by Zak Pinchin, the stark black and white video addresses the feelings of isolation and frustration that can come from masking mental health problems with drug or alcohol addiction.
Ellis hopes that opening up about his own problems can be part of the larger ongoing conversation around destigmatising mental health, as he explains further: “This song is the most personal I’ve ever written. When I was 13 I experienced a traumatic event that sent me down a path of having panic attacks at school and then on to increasingly worse mental health impairments later in life.
“There’s a lot of frustration still in me about what happened and I know that’s the same for a lot of people, how a few moments can change the course of how you thought your life was going to turn out. The frustration builds and it inevitably turns inwards because you have nobody else to blame a decade of your problems on.
“I spent so long going to doctors and friends telling them ‘I’m okay’ and ‘it will get better just keep the drugs coming’, but the reality is that until you can face yourself honestly then you’re not okay and you won’t get better.”
Drawing influence from a range of acts such as Taking Back Sunday, Thursday and Funeral For A Friend to name a few, the new single is another intriguing string to the bow of the band. With a propensity for combining the extremely personal and heartfelt messages contained within vocalist William Ellis’s lyrics with anthemic chorus lines, THIS LIFE are proving themselves to be often an emotional and intense listen.
The band entered the studio earlier in 2018 to record a select few tracks with George Daly at The Ranch Production House (Creeper, Milk Teeth, Funeral For A Friend) in Southampton, and the single was mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music (Thrice, Smith Street Band, Fleetwood Mac).
THIS LIFE live dates:
09.01.18 – Milton Keynes – The Craufurd Arms (w/ Emarosa)