Song of the Week: Lonely Head

Get your tissues ready, kids!

Lonely Head is such a special song to a lot of people. Obviously I can’t speak for anyone else's experience, but when everyone was gathered in the live chat for the release, something interesting seemed to happen—everyone joined expecting the same turbulent energy the Skinner Brothers usually bring with their songs, but instead we were all dropped on our collective ass and reminded that depression is real and can affect anyone at any time.

Well, shit.

I’m probably doing a bad job at describing this shift in the chat's energy because I’m making it sound like a negative experience, but that couldn’t have been farther from the truth. I guess a better word to describe it would be 'sobering,' because after the initial shock wore off, one by one each person in the chat spoke up with their own personal stories that somehow all shared the same quiet message— “me too.”

Between searching for the cure to emptiness in the bottom of a glass and making unrealistic promises of ‘being better’ by tomorrow, the lyrics to this song are like salt in an open wound. They touch on the overwhelming guilt that comes from feeling like you’re letting everyone around you down, and the crushing pressure of trying to reassure them that your current emotional state is only temporary—not something you intend to burden them with long term. People that don’t experience these feelings on a regular basis may not understand what it’s like to have every social interaction feel like a disciplinary meeting at work, but those of us that do experience it regularly understand social masking all too well.

Tomorrow I’ll be, be better- you’ll see

Because that’s what depression is, isn’t it? It’s a liar. A little snake whispering in your ear, convincing you that you are insignificant, unworthy, and that you deserve all the bad things that you are currently feeling. It makes you feel selfish for having your own needs, and like you need to set them aside for the sake of other people’s convenience. But the thing is, that’s not true. Lines like “I feel sorry for the people in my life” are a prime example of what is known as a cognitive distortion—a false or irrational thought that leads to overwhelmingly negative emotions.

The truth is that the people in our lives WANT to know what’s going on. They WANT to be let in, because they want to help, and they can’t do that unless we let them. They don’t want endless lip service about how the cavernous black hole you’ve fallen into is 'really no big deal,' they just want to pull you out of it… But they aren’t going to throw you a rope until they know how you’ll use it, and that is why open communication is imperative when dealing with sensitive topics like mental health.

Funny how that works, isn’t it? The things that many of us (especially the older generations) were conditioned to not speak about publicly out of fear of judgment ended up being little more than smoke and mirrors in the end. Certainly not the boogeymen we all once thought they were, anyway. In a major generational plot twist, they actually turned out to be the shared experiences that unite us as a community instead of tearing us apart. Whoever is in charge of writing this season of the Matrix deserves a pay raise, I’ll give them that.

On a slightly less depressing note, I really liked the video for Lonely Head, too. The overall mood of the song fits very well with the imagery of someone sitting alone in their room writing these lyrics in a diary.

In classic Skinner Brothers fashion, the music is light and playful, giving you a slight reprieve from the weight of getting sucker punched by the lyrics. The bass and guitar remind me a bit of Blink 182, though I couldn’t tell you why because I’ve only heard a handful of their songs. And I’m certain it’s not the first time it’s been done in a Skinner Brothers song, but Lonely Head is the first one I ever noticed being kind of drum-forward in the beginning, if that makes sense. I don’t know if there is a technical term for that, but it’s always stood out to me in this song because it’s instantly identifiable.

I know this place well, I’ve been here many times

I know I’ve said before that Zac has a way of taking something negative and turning it into something you can sing along to in the shower, but Lonely Head goes above and beyond in that regard. With the first couple of tracks from the upcoming EP Sick, Sick Soul already out (and more to come!) there's a lot of buzz in the comments section from fans saying that Ren “has the Midas touch.” That may be true, but between Zac's transformative lyricism and cool, laid back demeanor, I think it's safe to say that he has the Arthur Fonzarelli touch:

If you know, you know. Fonzie taught me many important life lessons—the most important being that if at first you don't succeed, hit it with something until it works. But he also taught me the importance of maintaining a positive attitude, and not being afraid to lean on your friends when times get tough. So cheer up, ya bunch of Lonely Heads! If you cant do it for yourself, do it for the Fonz.

☘️🖤

Lyrics courtesy of Bandcamp :

So I’m a mess again,
But I guess that doesn't come as a surprise,
And I’m depressed again,
Feel sorry for the people in my life,
I should be uptown with all my friends,
Making memories but instead,
I'm just sat alone in bed,
Drinking myself to an early grave,
Searching for some answers in the bottom of a glass,

Tomorrow I’ll be,
Be better, you'll see,
I promise, you know,
I don't break those,
It comes it goes,
My teardrops explode,
I'm sick, please help me,

Coz I’m going through HELL,
Yeah I might be smiling, but there’s dark behind my eyes,
Coz I’m going through HELL,
Yeah I know this place well,
I've been here many times,

I'm on the meds again,
Walking and talking like a zombie,
I feel less again,
Take my hand - tell me it ain't true,
I should be uptown with my girlfriend,
Trading kisses let’s pretend like,
I'm not just a Lonely Head,
Smoking cigarettes and cutting scars,
Echoes of my anger, In the belly of shark,

Tomorrow I’ll be,
Be better, you'll see,
I promise, you know,
I don't break those
It comes it goes,
My teardrops explode,
I'm sick, please help me,

Coz I’m going through HELL,
Yeah I might be smiling, but there’s dark behind my eyes,
Coz I'm going through HELL,
Yeah I know this place well, I've been here many times