It’s been over 2 years since Stay Awake first rocked onto our screens with ‘One Stone Away’, hitting out at government censorship and the ideology of mass population control.
In that time, the global landscape has shifted dramatically, provoking an instant reaction in the form of the band’s new video ‘Brave New Normal’.
The idea of self-reflection and critiquing the ego has always been a focal point for the band, but Brave New Normal hints at something else, something darker. With the world plunging into the dystopian depths of the COVID pandemic, the band has responded in typical fashion. The opening lines ‘I lost myself in the rabbit hole. It’s eating my time yeah’ instantly draw contrasts between our beliefs and the media feeding machine, leading us on a never-ending path of discovery and ultimately, lies in some form or another. The band’s vocalist, John, opens up on ‘My views conflict with those I love’, describing the harshness of having to deal with the mental conflict that the pandemic has thrown between us and our friends or loved ones.
Make no mistake about it, this is ultimately yet another song about the impact the pandemic has had on us all, a popular theme with musicians right now. However, the passion and drive the band have shown over a difficult year, drawing inspiration from around the globe and approaching the cliched subject with strong resolution, has only made Stay Awake more determined to shine and inspire. This is noticeable in particular, with the line ‘The human spirit’s never backing down’.
We all feel, we all doubt.
Welcome to the ‘Brave New Normal’.
Very cool to see some fellow Asian extreme musicheads who live out here in the west (United Kingdom to be precise) also continuing to actually play music instead of...
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