Art sports the social and cultural context of the given moment. Regardless of its initial inspiration, music, TV, film, and countless other media morph with time, layers of new meanings shining bright and clean. Pop singer-songwriter Spencer Sutherland originally wrote his new song “Help” last summer, but in these pandemic times, the soulful tune blossoms into something new altogether.
Videos by American Songwriter
The visual, premiering today on American Songwriter, was directed by his long-standing videographer Sonny Alvarez and stars only Sutherland; the piece was filmed while both were quarantined together (back in April). Such raw urgency penetrates the screen and invites the viewer further into his frame of mind. “Been some time, baby it’s been a minute / Four years, I only listened to myself / But now I need help,” he sets the emotional scene. The first verse primes for the perhaps disturbing psychological nature of the video.
“It’s ok, I think it’s kinda funny that / Things change when you get some money for yourself But I just need help,” he continues. He spirals out, and his inner monologue cements within every single frame, switching between more colorful, sharper images and steam-laden stagnation. Sutherland offers up a grueling performance, too, as he highlights the emotional turmoil post-breakup and his inability to pick up the pieces.
“I need help, help / I can’t tell nobody I’m going through hell,” he howls on the hook. Musically, he bends from classic singer-songwriter to cathedral-echoing gospel, and he uses his voice to great effect. He continues marching through the vicious cycles, “I’m not too proud to say I’m in need of saving / I’d open my mouth, but I’d just get in the way of myself.”
“I feel ‘Help’ is super relevant and it conveys the current sentiment and will really connect with listeners…” says Sutherland over email. “I believe people will relate with the emotions and lyrics as they are struggling with their own increased stress, anxiety and depression brought on by the feeling of isolation and uncertainty of the current global crisis. “
The Los Angeles performer hit the scene in 2015 with “Bad Influence,” but it wasn’t until 2017’s “Selfish” that he began to blow up the pop scene in a significant way. His debut EP, NONE of this has been about you, arrived two years later and confirms his place within the current landscape. With a little “Help,” he sets his sights on the follow-up, a sophomore EP tentatively expected later this year.
Watch the “Help” music video below.
Photo Credit: Lexie Alley
