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Jul 27, 2020 By Samantha Small SOAK

“I’m alive and I can feel it,” says SOAK (aka Northern Ireland singer/songwriter Bridie Monds-Watson). It’s been about six months in quarantine with no end near in sight. But Monds-Watson wants to try to deliver the “antidote to anxiety” with a new collaborative track and film “I’m Alive.” Watch it below.

Conceptualized by Ellius Grace, “I’m Alive” is based on a poem written and performed by SOAK. Over soft instrumental piano by Gemma Doherty of Saint Sister, SOAK wanders through their day-to-day life trying to find a glimpse of happiness in an oftentimes dreary reality. “I grant myself permission to wake up/I tug the blue bread from my ears and hold hands with my depression/Acting like a transplant patient testing out new eyes/Looking at life as if it were the first time.”

In a press release Monds-Watson explains the creation of the piece, “Ellius Grace reached out to me during the lockdown with this idea of creating an ‘antidote to anxiety,’ with the concept centering around finding beauty in the mundane. I sat down in the up and down waves of isolation, when I let my brain go I started to write about how it feels to ‘wake up’ from a long depression. The relief when a tide starts to turn and things I’d given up on begin to seem possible again. Ellius asked Gemma Doherty to compose the soundtrack and she provided a gentle and gripping bed to speak over. I hope this piece can act as a reminder that it won’t always be like this.”

“‘I’m Alive’ is a short film about being mindful of the small joys and blessings around you,” continues Grace. “It’s about slowing down and taking stock of the things that often go unnoticed. It’s about the space you can create in your head when you’re feeling anxious or frustrated with life. With this piece, I hope to create a calming experience and send a message of peace and strength in oneself. I hope to remind you of the beautiful experiences that anyone can have no matter their situation.”

Recently, SOAK covered The National’s “Bloodbuzz Ohio.” And back in 2019, released a full album Grim Town, her second album, the follow-up to 2015’s debut, Before We Forgot How to Dream. Back then she was only 19 years old, now of course she’s older (22) and likely wiser.

Read our recent My Firsts interview with SOAK.

Read our review of Grim Town.

Read our 2015 interview with SOAK.

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