Blaenavon Release Cathartic Video for Newest Single, “Catatonic Skinbag”

While UK-based indie rock band, Blaenavon, is best known for their soaring melodies and ethereal vocals, they have shown that they are much more than a lovely voice in their newest release “Catatonic Skinbag.”

The four-piece, comprised of singer Ben Gregory, guitarist Scott Roach, bassist Frank Wright, and drummer Harris McMillan, crashed onto the scene in 2013 after winning a talent show and snagging a record deal with Transgressive Records. Though still in school, they went on to release two EPs and a widely anticipated full-length debut album, This Is Your Lot, in 2017. Now free from their scholarly shackles, Blaenavon’s forthcoming second album, Everything That Makes You Happy, is sure to give new insight into the band’s post-educational experiences.

The single’s release was quickly followed by an equally gripping video, with Gregory describing it as depicting “a pretty miserable time in my life. Living in a cycle of self-pity and sensual self-indulgence." Directed by London-based creatives Homer & Farley, the video reaches out with a 90’s nostalgia crafted through VHS frames of a dimly lit graffiti covered apartment. Gregory is front and center, switching between lounging in a dirty bathtub and a candle-filled room, à la The Craft, while his bandmates pound on the door. He is, in his own words, a catatonic skin bag. The video perfectly highlights the emotional distress behind the single, “always tired, lacking desire, to feel enough to start the day.”

The hard-hitting lyrics of “Catatonic Skinbag” come as no surprise to those who read the singer’s open letter to fans, released through the band’s social media on New Year’s Day, in which he detailed his struggle with his mental health the year before. Filled with a new sense of clarity and self-worth after seeking treatment, Gregory notes that this newest record could be the most important thing he will ever create.

Though on the surface the song is a cathartic release for pent-up rage and depression, it also digs deeper and shows the importance in remembering that we all suffer in some way and that having empathy for your fellow humans is crucial. Gregory put it perfectly in his letter. “If you are in pain, there is always a way forward. Be kind to each other and show empathy and love. Take a second to ask if your friends are ok. Please don’t push them away.”

Everything That Makes You Happy is slated to be released later this year on Canvasback Music, but until then catch the band at one of their electric live performances on their upcoming summer UK tour.

UK Tour Dates

Wed. May 1 - Dublin, UK @ The Grand Social

Thu. May. 2 - Belfast, UK @ McHugh's Basement Bar

Sat. May 4 - Liverpool, UK @ Liverpool Sound City

Sun. May 5 - Newcastle, UK @ Hit The North

Mon May 6 - Sheffield, UK @ Leadmill

Wed. May 8 - Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms

Thu. May 9 - Leicester, UK @ O2 Academy

Sat. May 11 - Oxford, UK @ O2 Academy

Sun. May 12 - Cardiff, UK @ The Globe

Tue. May 14 - Plymouth, UK @ The Junction

Wed. May 15 - Southampton, UK @ The 1865