Today Yoke Lore, otherwise known as Adrian Galvin, premieres the new video for his latest single “Shock Flesh.” The video finds him experimenting with being alone as he tries to break himself out of stagnation.
“‘Shock Flesh’ is a song about how we learn most about ourselves through our relationships with other people,” Galvin tells EARMILK. “When we fully engage with those relationships and with the semi-inevitable trauma that comes along with many human connections, we open ourselves up to the possibility of becoming new. I could exist alone. That’s where I find comfort, but it’s not where I find growth. That kind of reclusive comfort is a form of stagnation, and no one drinks from a stagnant pool of water. So I want to be a rushing river.”
Directed by Kenneth Polyak, the video sees him on a mountain top hitting the drums as hard as he can. Though he’s alone, his forceful movements convey the want to grow as he gets to know himself better. ”I think the video forces me to contend with my own detrimental instincts,” he says. “It shows my isolation on a grand scale. It shows me that in the end, alone, all I can muster is destruction..”
When writing “Shock Flesh,” Galvin brought in none other than the amazing artist and songwriter, Wrabel, who’s co-written with the likes of Kesha, The Backstreet Boys, and Tori Kelly. “What a guy! I was so lucky to wrangle his heart into this. I mean, besides him being a hit factory, he has such magnanimous creativity. I can’t wait to work with him again.”
Last month Galvin wrapped up both his solo and support tour with Mt. Joy. After playing shows across the country he realized that many people didn’t know that he plays the banjo. “I get it because I play with the sound of it so much on the records,” he says. “But yeah, I play the banjo everyone! It’s only played by bearded dudes in plaid who drink craft beer. But because of that narrow space it occupies there is so much room for it to be other things. Jimmy Hendricks played guitar behind his back, lefty, and with his teeth. People play 12 string guitars and guitars that lay flat. They play guitars through pedals and echo chambers and plugins that make a guitar sound like an alien chainsaw. The guitar has been played a million and a half ways. I want to take the banjo out of the pigeon hole it’s been sitting in and play with it differently.”
After almost two years off the road Galvin understands what a privilege it is to be back on tour. “It wasn’t lost on me how special of an opportunity it was to be on stage at all,” he says. “I felt really lucky to be in a room with hundreds of people every night sharing in a holistic creative experience together.”
With this being his first release of the year, we can expect much more music from Galvin in the coming months.
Featured Image by Billie Black
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