Last year, I was in a deep state of depression that was fueled by a crippling anxiety. It got so bad that in the summer I had to take six weeks off from work, and I felt like I was completely falling apart from the inside.
It's not easy to look at your life and accept you're at total rock bottom, and that therefore something fundamental has to change. But this is a central aspect of the hero character arc; at the crux of the journey is the theme of death, of falling through the void, of losing yourself to the abyss. Anyone who's suffered from mental illness knows that feeling with sharp familiarity.
What is harder to know - in fact, what many people in this position might never know - is that this is only one side of the coin; that arcs, by their definition, recurse on themselves, and that this brings with it rebirth, revelation, and an emergence from total oblivion as a transformed character.
I certainly experienced this transition in the past twelve months; after making SIGNIFICANT life changes, and letting go of all of the negative things that felt like they deeply entrenched into the fibre of my being, I resurfaced as somebody so totally new that it's hard to recognise the quivering mass of insecurities I used to be (although, there are certainly times when the shadow of my former self revisits, usually just to see how I'm getting on and have a brew with us like).
This idea of resurfacing, reemerging from a life that felt too difficult to live, is central to this week's track. And with that, it's time to unveil the latest superhero to join the Save the World! roster...
Ladies and gentlefiends, welcome to the fold the Canine Crusader, Keeper of Kennels, Chief Pupper and all around very good boy: HOUNDTRACK.
HOUNDTRACK's debut Music to Save the World! to is the aptly titled Back to Earth, and from the very opening movements it's clear to see why this track struck so easily the imagery of resurfacing - we're instantly met with the sonic impression of being underwater, floating closer and closer to the surface, accompanied by filtered vocals and ethereal noises, before that brief moment where it feels like we're so close but still so far, before...
We break the surface, everything becomes clear, and the drop comes in like that first lungful of air, clean and clear and thoroughly deserved. It's a powerful metaphor for coming out of a dark place, a place where drowning seems inevitable, and finding ourselves in back on Earth, totally transformed and with a new appreciation for everything that's good and right in our own personal worlds. The shit stuff just gets washed away on the tide.
This track will resonate with anyone who's experienced what it's like to traverse the hero's journey arc through the depths of mental illness and live to tell the tale, and for those who are still in it's throes, I hope it can serve as a reassurance that you can come full circle, and be the person you were when life didn't feel like it was out to get you.
Hound, it's a pleasure to have you on board dawg.
Himalaya by Ellipsis
The Music to Save The World playlist is sponsored this month by Himalaya from Ellipsis.
The journey begins - fresh Chillstep from Ellipsis to help you focus. Stream it now:
You can learn more about HOUNDTRACK here:
You can learn more about Justin Mylo here:
About the curator - Matt Jenko
Matt Jenko is a university postgraduate and music producer with an unhealthy obsession with Rick & Morty and all things Game of Thrones. When he’s not in the studio (a rare occurrence these days), he’s fueling his passion for music either on the net or out in the real world. He likes being out in the nature (in the least strenuous capacity though, let’s be real here) and chilling with his cat, and he’s also pretty proud of his mammoth collection of books that he’s never read.
Checkout Matt's project Ellipsis on Spotify and Facebook
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