"Have you seen the mess I’ve been?"
"Mess" deals forcefully and beautifully with things a lot of us don't like to talk about because it seems ultimately easier to bury those things in the back yard. Unfortunately, while some things that rot under the ground produce beautiful flowers, most just fester and stink up the place. "Mess" by Toronto's Ten Kills The Pack, the folk project of singer-songwriter Sean Sroka, instantly has an urgency and a tension, the forward rushing chord plucks create an anxious presence as does Sroka vocal aesthetic but as the beat drops in and the tone changes you feel a relief until that tension starts again. Sroka has a beautiful and endearing voice at once pained but comforting and maybe resolute to his condition and the condition of everyone in similar positions. I felt a huge emotional tug when the bridge stirs up feelings elevated /enhanced by an extra wash of reverb as if to indicate past times or memories,
"Don’t you bother with me I’ll be okay. Won’t you come bother me I’m not as well as I said."
The seemingly bi-polar-esque thing here, the pushing away but also asking for comfort is heartbreaking. In the end, "Mess" is a beautiful, pained, evocative bloodletting that will provide tears and hope to those who grasp what is being said.
Of the song, Sroka shares:
Of the song, Sroka shares:
"Mess’ derives from a stage in my life where I would try to mask really low and dark moments with drinking or whatever else. My mistake with depression was trying to push past it instead of leaning into it, learning, and understanding it. The song’s not only about hiding your shit, your mess, and pretending everything’s ok, but its core stems from the heart-breaking moments of expecting its arrival and knowing that it’s all going to happen again. Which is sad, nerve wracking, and difficult. It took a really long time to write because it took a really long time to come to terms with what was happening."
And adds, "In the Covid era, I feel fortunate to be able to translate the hurricane of this world into different forms of art. I can actually engage with my mental state and give it some relief. This was especially the case when it came to creating the video for this song."
And adds, "In the Covid era, I feel fortunate to be able to translate the hurricane of this world into different forms of art. I can actually engage with my mental state and give it some relief. This was especially the case when it came to creating the video for this song."
"Mess" is from Ten Kills The Pack's upcoming EP "Life, Death, & Afterwards" dropping on February, 26th, 2021 and a follow up to his acclaimed 2019 debut, "Force Majeure".
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
tenkillsthepack
facebook
instagram
Sean Sroka, the Toronto-based songwriter behind the contemporary folk project Ten Kills The Pack, has made his mark in recent years by blending together literate, poetic observances and incisive musings on the human condition with cunningly composed and hard-hitting songcraft and instrumentation. His acclaimed 2019 debut release, Force Majeure, introduced his talents through the lens of a defined Toronto cityscape and its cosmopolitan hustle, bustle, beauty, and heartache.
Now, with his latest EP Life, Death, & Afterwards, Sroka has expanded his scope to focus on even bigger targets—a search for interpersonal purpose, and the clarity that comes from space and growth—while losing none of the intimacy nor observant expressiveness for which Ten Kills The Pack has become known. Produced by Dave Cerminara (Father John Misty, Cold War Kids, Dawes), Life, Death, & Afterwards realizes the potential of his debut to deliver on all promised levels. By expertly weaving together profoundly universal themes to which all listeners can relate with razor sharp songwriting plus lush and layered organic sounds, Sroka has established Ten Kills The Pack as one of modern folk music’s leading voices.
Listen and Download "Mess": https://nettwerk.ffm.to/tktpmess
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
tenkillsthepack
Sean Sroka, the Toronto-based songwriter behind the contemporary folk project Ten Kills The Pack, has made his mark in recent years by blending together literate, poetic observances and incisive musings on the human condition with cunningly composed and hard-hitting songcraft and instrumentation. His acclaimed 2019 debut release, Force Majeure, introduced his talents through the lens of a defined Toronto cityscape and its cosmopolitan hustle, bustle, beauty, and heartache.
Now, with his latest EP Life, Death, & Afterwards, Sroka has expanded his scope to focus on even bigger targets—a search for interpersonal purpose, and the clarity that comes from space and growth—while losing none of the intimacy nor observant expressiveness for which Ten Kills The Pack has become known. Produced by Dave Cerminara (Father John Misty, Cold War Kids, Dawes), Life, Death, & Afterwards realizes the potential of his debut to deliver on all promised levels. By expertly weaving together profoundly universal themes to which all listeners can relate with razor sharp songwriting plus lush and layered organic sounds, Sroka has established Ten Kills The Pack as one of modern folk music’s leading voices.
Connect with Ten Kills The Pack: https://www.tenkillsthepack.com/ https://www.instagram.com/tenkillsthe... https://www.facebook.com/tenkillsthep...
No comments:
Post a Comment