Yungblud has shared a teaser of his Britpop-inspired new single ‘Breakdown’, which he says reflects the “hardest year for his mental health” – listen to the clip below.
The single will be released in full on June 21, and ahead of that date he has shared a preview clip of the song on his Instagram account.
Over strains of ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’-like strings and a skittering rhythm, the first snippet of ‘Breakdown’ finds Yungblud singing: “Don’t forget to put your feet in the grass / Tell your mum that you love her, say you cleaned up your act / Give money to the homeless man, help him buy a bar / When you’re buying your morning coffee, ask them how they are”.
The video clip shows the musician sitting on the back of what appears to be a pickup truck, with the world whizzing past behind his head. “Fuck the depression, it’s all in your head,” he sings, before arriving at the chorus of “Breakdown, think I’m gonna breakdown / Think I’m gonna fade out / Think I’m gonna breakdown”.
Yungblud’s Instagram post also included a lengthy comment in which he discusses the inspiration for the song.
“I wrote this poem because it’s been the hardest year for my mental health,” he wrote. “In my life I’ve always never felt good enough, it’s just the thing that’s eaten me up. For as long as I can remember i have felt constantly afraid of how quickly my head can turn dark.”
“It’s always been so hard to fight the darkness that i inevitably have. A lot of people will say it’s a phase and it will go away. But it doesn’t and the reality of the situation is I have to find strategies to deal with it.”
“To put it plainly the things I don’t like about myself will probably never change, people tell me one day I’ll come-to terms with them one day but I want that day to be FUCKING NOW,” he continued. “This song is a message to myself to try and exist alongside my insecurities and my darkness by grounding myself and remembering what is real in life and the world is so much bigger than me.”
He concluded by linking to the mental health charity Mind, and added: “Try and get out of your head and notice the world around you, notice the things and people around you. Connect with them, the chances are they probably feel the same. Don’t let the bullshit inside your head consume you. It just wastes precious time. Remember what is real. Help people, be kind, help the world, help yourself.”
“If you think you can’t do it, you can. You can get through this, trust me. Use this poem in a mornin to get u out of bed, use it when youre about to back out of something last minute, use it when you’re at your darkest. It’s got a little bit of light in it. Don’t forget to put your feet in the grass.”
The Britpop flavours on ‘Breakdown’ were first hinted at in NME’s interview with Yungblud back in March, when he described his next album as being made in “the North”, and representing “the light”.
“It’s all about getting through it; it’s positive. It’s that thing in your stomach when you listen to Oasis, or The Verve, or Bowie, or Suede, or Madonna. It makes me feel like I can get up today. It makes me feel like I’m invincible and that I can do anything – that’s what this new album sounds like,” he explained.
He went on to say that other influences included The Stone Roses and Amy Winehouse and everything else that has “done work on my soul”.
“It’ll be a great ‘Urban Hymns’ or ’Screamadelica’,” he added. “I know the old dudes are going to leather me in the comments for that but I don’t give a fuck because I’m going to go there. If you listen to it, then it’s that from a new perspective.”
Yungblud is preparing to host BludFest at the Milton Keynes Bowl on August 11, where he will be joined on the bill by recent collaborator Lil Yachty, as well as Soft Play, Nessa Barrett, The Damned, Lola Young and Jazmin Bean.
In recent weeks, he confirmed that a second stage had been added to the event, which will include performances from Jesse Jo Stark, Landon Barker (the son of Yungblud’s collaborator and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker), Hannah Grae and Aziya.