Did you know that antidepressant use in England doubled between the years 2003 and 2013?
Yeah, me neither. But thanks to Southend indie foursome Asylums I’m a little bit wiser.
Open for interpretation, the band’s new song “Millennials” is an anthem for a generation defined by a marketing demographic.
Questioning the sweeping generational generalisation that most millennials face, which can include their assumed dependancy on antidepressants and any other stereotype people like to slap on them, “Millennials” hears the band strip the distortion from lead singer Luke Branch’s songwriting, in turn giving his melody and storytelling space to breathe and explore unchartered waters.
“For the first time in a single we have stripped back the distortion and pulled back the pace,” explains Branch. “On ‘Millennials’ we wanted to put the lyrical message up front and centre but that message is open to interpretation.”
Accompanied by a video directed by longtime Asylums collaborator Kana Waiwaiku, it was conceptualised by the band and apparently started with a bizarre taxi ride that in itself sounds like a Beastie Boys-meets-Pharcyde music video.
“Kana and I started this shoot by getting in a cab with a fish tank, a ton of vitamin tablets and a painting of Earth,” Branch begins. “The production ended in an all night casino, huddled around a laptop in Southend, finalising the look of the video using their free wi-fi. It seemed fitting for a song which is ultimately about alienation”
A favourite of Steve Lamacq’s and played daily on his BBC Radio 6 Music show, “Millennials” follows the band’s popular single “When We Wake Up”. Both will live on their forthcoming new album Alien Human Emotions, due out July 6th.
Want to catch them on tour? Check out their upcoming live dates below:
