For Souvenirs’ Tim Riley, Love for the Lack of It is a document of the songwriter’s healing process. Although it was mainly written within the context of a recent stage-three rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis, Riley wound up penning self-diagnoses of his own strained relationships in the aftermath of the news. This medical theme is most explicit on the album’s midpoint, “Feel Enough,” when an audio clip of a doctor seeps into the mix.
“The bridge hits and says, ‘If only we felt enough, if only we felt the love,’ which plays after a Zach Bush quote,” Riley notes. “Zach Bush is an MD who specializes in internal medicine, endocrinology, and hospice care. The bridge is saying, if only we felt like we were enough. It’s the disbelief of that which drives us to tear each other down. It took me losing all the things I identify myself with to understand that I am worthy of love every second of every day of my life.”
Today, the band is sharing a video for the clip, which sees Riley mouthing the song’s lyrics while submerged in a pool, struggling to stay afloat. When Dr. Bush’s cameo arrives, his monologue is given subtitles. “One of the things I wanted to do with the video was add the subtitles for the sound bite clip to highlight the message it gives,” he shares. “I thought by doing that we could create a bit of a metaphor in how the music is just the vehicle for the message.”
Watch the clip below.
