IAN LAKE – “EASIER”
A SPILL EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE
I like to call this my ‘self-help’ song,” says Toronto-based singer-songwriter Ian Lake, about his upcoming single ‘Easier.’” “It basically poured out of me after reading nothing but Brené Brown and Don Miguel Ruiz books, during the early stages of the pandemic.”
The song is the second release off of Lake’s upcoming debut album, What It Is, following the critically acclaimed debut single “The Bottom,” a melancholic and epic orchestral ballad. “Easier” is as beautiful a blue-eyed soul ballad as you’ll hear anywhere, with an almost R&B sound, Lake’s heartbreaking, soulful voice set against a backdrop of the most gorgeous Gospel harmonies, and a surprising but satisfying mellotron. It’s a more upbeat offering, that tells the story of a man who discovers the importance of self-forgiveness, and compassion, building to the wisdom of the final line, “Love is all there is.”
Lake adds, “Actually, it’s a fitting follow up to ‘The Bottom,’ because it was written immediately after that song. I was like, ‘okay, I’m at an all-time low, I’ve told that story, sang that song… now what?’ So ‘Easier’ became a sort of therapeutic response to feeling a lot of shame and regret. It was written to myself as a letter of encouragement to pick myself back up, and get on with things.”
The music video, beautifully directed by Rachel Cairns, and shot by DOP Ian Macmillan, is a playful and colourful depiction of that journey towards learning to love yourself. Shot in Lake’s apartment, the video features some of the female vocalists who appear on the track. It follows him from that low point he described, through the struggle of the everyday, just to the moment he’s found the courage to make something out of the pain.
“The video explores the concept of a healthier, wiser version of me, singing to his former self, pushing him forward,” Lake explains. “As if the stack of self-help books on my shelf had come to life, and sung this song to me, when I couldn’t get out of bed. It was cathartic to film in my apartment – which is where I wrote all these songs, while isolated – to include the singers, but also to heighten and dramatize the whole scenario for the video. It feels very personal, and vulnerable, but celebratory, which makes me all the more excited to share it with the world.”
Ian Lake
[Single]
(Independent)
Release Date: February 4, 2022
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