New York Pavements have shared the powerful new video for single Long Way Down, out now.
Directed and produced by Paul Brooking, Long Way Down is about the feelings of isolation and separation associated with some mental health conditions. The video uses previously unseen footage from the Cannes award-winning short, ‘Outside The Glasshouse’.
It graphically depicts the depression of the central character Jack, his aimless wandering, suicidal thoughts and disassociation from the world. On reaching his lowest point, his despair is interrupted by a light of hope in an unexpected text in this powerfully emotional music video.
Long Way Down is taken from New York Pavements’ forthcoming concept album, Outside The Glasshouse, from which all profits are being donated to mental health charity Andy’s Man Club which does great work to combat the grim statistic that suicide is the biggest killer of men under fifty.
Outside the Glasshouse is a classic concept album with a modern rock sound that nods to past influences such as The Who and The Stone Roses. The concept album, with accompanying photographic essay and DVD tells the story of one man’s downward spiral of divorce, redundancy and rejection. It represents so many who struggle in their middle years – the age group with the highest prevalence of male suicide. The effect of the ‘male mid-life crisis’ is devastating as it touches partners, mothers, lovers and children. Outside The Glasshouse shines a light on this rarely discussed mental health condition which cuts through the heart of society.
The band’s songwriter and producer Paul Brooking, also wrote and directed the accompanying short film winning many awards including Cannes Shorts, Overcome Festival, London Independent Film Festival,Brooking’s background as a video director includes work with Plan B, Viola Beach and Family Jools.
Talking about the concept of the album, Paul elaborates, “writing and recording the album became a cathartic process, making me happier and more confident. I researched the often ridiculed male ‘mid-life crisis’, and found that this under-researched mental health condition had links to middle aged men taking their own lives. I spoke to as many men as I could and wrote the album around the stories they told me, creating the character of Jack and his struggles, his suicidal condition and his eventual recovery”.
Outside The Glasshouse is out on 13th March 2023.