Brett Newski
Seek Asylum from Myself Single/Video
Oh So EMO and in his element, Brett Newski is the voice of a potentially misunderstood generation. We are not so alone anymore stuck “in our feels,” for we have immense support, and he understands. Finally, someone who allows us permission to be anxiously aware of our own “circular thinking,” OCD-ness, anger, sadness, guilt, and “depresh” with complete acceptance. He signs an autograph for a young lady sporting one of his franchised “FAILED HIPSTER” caps with a thoughtful message that reads, “Enjoy the World, the Lows are Temporary,” because his empathetic intuition tells him that she needs his inspiration right now. The self-illustrated book/album he writes is an all-inclusive visual experience to enjoy while listening to his tunes, which are fun, hooky, and quite upbeat for an EMO dude. The album/book is called It’s Hard to Be a Person: Defeating Anxiety, Surviving the World, and Having More Fun.
“Seek Asylum from Myself,” his new video single, just dropped and within a week is gaining quick attention and traction. His voice reminds me of Television’s Tom Verlaine a bit, and the song’s colorful palette gave me MTV flashbacks. The presence of the snare drum is overabundant and loose with a distorted bass. Thick and buzzy grunge guitar chords accentuate a mid-range composition reminiscent of the ’90s alt days, which can never be a bad thing. The videography in this piece took some focused forethought and artistic vision. Pans, pushes, tilts, and drones that fly in, sweeping over Mexico City. Abstract, yet fluid, this song/video has been lingering in my head all week and continues to spark in me thoughts of travel, creativity, adventure, and fun which is clearly intentional.
Blending humor with mental struggles is something Brett Newski is known for. A positive attitude expresses naturally and seamlessly in this artist because most of his worries “are actually just comedy.” Whether he is playing on a rooftop somewhere (anywhere), strumming in the streets of Amsterdam (then buying a bike off a junkie because he needs a ride home), playing his acoustic nylon string in a storage unit or bowling alley, or performing in a small room in South Africa because he prefers the intimacy, this guy gets around more than the Beach Boys. Brett Newski is actually living his life full bore, and his You Tube/podcast called Dirt from the Road recounts entertaining, funny stories of his adventures. He also invites cool rocker guests to join in the conversation.
“Seek Asylum from Myself” is a day in the life, or better yet, a life in 3 ½ minutes of a cool, inspirational musician (with a great message about us getting in our own way) in skinny jeans with hair that’s just messy enough to fit his buskin’ lifestyle, who just may need to crash on your couch for the night. With collages of throwback home movies of him kicking ass as a kid playing baseball, practicing karate, and splashing in Uncle Mark’s pool, I get the feeling that he has been slaying his own addictive thought patterns all along by being a DO-ER, because, although it may be hard to be a person, defeating anxiety, surviving in the world, and having more fun, it is most certainly…POSSIBLE.
