A mind is a powerful tool. It can help solve complex equations, fight diseases, and evoke novel situations, images and ideas. It’s an essential part of the human body, but it can also be its downfall. One in four people experience mental health issues each year, and there were six hundred and two thousand cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2018/19 in the UK. In the past, I would have been a statistic too. As I sit here, with Ytown by Campbell Sibthorpe playing in the background, I notice the melancholy slowly creeping back in.
Today has not been a great day, and the opening song, The Sun Appeared, reaffirmed this. In the beginning, Campbell’s voice gracefully bounces off the auditory canal. Choral-esque, it was like I was reborn again, the Vicor baptising the occasion and clearing any wrongdoings. Father Carpenter is a perfect balancer. The brain massaged with sultry words and bird sounds; I remembered my grandma’s fascination with wildlife, such a beautiful memory in one’s childhood. Then there’s Good Lord, which is drug-like and therapeutic. Instead of popping two anti-depressants, play this song.
The EP ends on Strawberry Lane, Pt.1 and Strawberry Line, Pt.2, both of which are beautiful pieces of art. At the beginning of this record, I felt somewhat sad and downcast. The world on my shoulders, and no one around to help take the weight. Campbell Sibthorpe provides a shoulder to cry on on Ytown, and I accepted his offer. As people around the world cope with COVID-19, redundancies, and depression, take a moment to offer assurance and pass on music. It’s always been a great support in worrying times.
