Just over a month ago, Sad Park shared their record It’s All Over, which paired introspective lyrics with engaging pop-punk hooks. Album opener “Awake,” for example, manages to make certain anxieties sound fun, with lyrics of being “too anxious and freaked out to say exactly what I think” immediately preceding a rambunctious, guitar-heavy breakdown with twinkling percussion still audible underneath, providing the proper accompaniment for bodies get tossed around in a live setting. “‘Awake’ is about changing as a person and working on yourself and your anxiety, and worrying if people will still like you if you are changed,” the band explains. “The song is a battle back-and-forth between getting better mentally and healing, but worrying if people will still like or listen to you when you’re better.”
In the new visual for this track, vocalist/guitarist Graham Steele seemingly finds himself continuously waking up to different realities—from imagining himself in a bathtub after passing out in a swimming pool, to dreaming both scenarios while being Weekend at Bernie’s–ed at band practice, to ultimately ripping a killer solo at, what we can only assume, is the final layer of reality.
“’Awake’ was the first song I developed a concept for,” the visual’s director Johnii Barbarino shares. “The imagery started to piece together pretty quickly, a good song will do that. I know I’m on to something if I’m able to keep my own attention. The ‘Awake’ concept did just that while staying true to the humorous character of the band and the seriousness of their music.”
Watch it all unfold below.
