No, seriously, let’s talk about feelings. Be forthright. Be honest. Be open and sincere. Talk about your feelings. Don’t let that shit stay bottled up inside. It’s OK to not be OK. Be OK with your friends telling you that they are not OK, and don’t feel like you’re obligated to make someone feel better. Just be available, and non judgmental. Let them know it’s OK to not be OK.
Right now, I’m doing great, mentally. A few days ago I broke down and cried listening to a song. I had a friend confess their emotional stresses and breakdown earlier this week. My own mother went through some issues recently, and was afraid to tell me because she was afraid I would judge her, instead I was able to help her work through them and come out better on the other side. People love you. I love you. It’s OK to talk about your feelings. If you feel like you don’t have anyone to talk to, you can find me online and DM me. I promise, I’ll talk to you. I’ll listen. I don’t need to know you to know you’re doing the best that you can, and that you are worthy of love.
But this is a song review, so let’s get back to the task at hand. Andy B & The World has released their second single from their upcoming album with an exclusive video on YouTube and no streaming. Andy B is probably my favorite songwriter right now. Their last 3 singles have been absolutely incredible. The music is top notch, but the messaging hits me every time. The first time I reviewed anything they wrote was “Apathetic”, a stand-alone single that came out after their debut album “The first one”. The song was about the importance of singing songs that have a message- the importance of politics in music. I have a strong opinion that the purpose of art is to communicate a message to the masses. Songs about love or clout chasing rarely do much for me. This song nailed it. The second song was 2 weeks ago- the first single for their upcoming album “Minus the World” released on American Independence Day called “Keep Him Away” about Donald Trump’s fascism, and policies that are bad for America, the Earth, and the people of the world. Today, the message is mental health.
A few weeks ago, one of my favorite ska-core bands released the second single off of their upcoming album, and the song was called Grief, about dealing with the loss of people they love. It is a pretty powerful song. Omnigone writes a lot about building community and exploring their emotions and about social justice. Andy B & The World does exactly the same thing, but with a sound that is on another end of the ska spectrum, and manages to be every bit as powerful of a messenger. “Let’s Talk About Feelings” begins with a dedication to our fallen friends who are not with us today, those we lost too soon. The rest of the song is dedicated to making sure that we don’t lose ourselves or anyone else the same way. The song is about working through our mental health crises- about knowing we are not alone, about being there for one another, about being OK not being OK. It has personal lyrics, being vulnerable, discussing personal struggles, drinking to dull the depression, and sinking further. It’s not easy. It’s worth it.
The music is phenomenal. The guitar solo late in the song is incredible. As is fairly normal is UK ska bands, some of the lyrics are rapped and there is a healthy blend of genre that makes it very distinct from most American ska punk. I love the instrumentation and production in this track, but as usual with an Andy B & The World track, it is the message that blows me away and sticks with me.
I wrote this last single, but I’ll probably tell some version of this every time I review an Andy B & The World song- their first album featured a collaboration with 172 artists from around the world. Collaboration and community is necessary if we hope to make the world a better place. The money raised from the first album was donated to charity. This album- “Minus the World” is a non-collaborative album to help fund the next collaborative work, which is already underway and hopes to feature around 500 artists, and will once again, be used to raise money for charity. Activism is action not just words. But Andy B & The World doesn’t understand what non-collaborative means, apparently- because this song features Aaron Carey on vocals. To Andy B & The World, non collaborative just means they aren’t making a massive undertaking to bring dozens of voices together- they are never alone, because art is made together. And art is not just music- in the video for this song, the band brought in street artist I.Am.Sprite to do a live painting throughout the shoot. The mural prominently features the phrase “It’s OK to not be OK” in the center. Take those words to heart, please.
If you are having a mental health crisis in the UK you can dial 111 to get put in contact with a trained professional or text “SHOUT” to 85258.
In the US you can call 988 to reach the national suicide prevention lifeline.
You are worth it.
Written by Gimpleg
