Toronto rockers release the title track of their forthcoming album, PARASITE, with a purpose.
As people all over the world have discovered over the last 2 years, mental health is a big concern for everyone. In the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, depression and anxiety increased by 25%. 1 in 100 deaths globally is a suicide. Jobs lost, loved ones lost to illness, isolation and more have a pronounced effect on our self-worth. TO WRITE LOVE ON HER ARMS have started a YOU ARE NOT A BURDEN campaign to raise awareness and prevent suicide.
“Parasite” is a song written to address this tearing down of self-worth – linking the band members to all their fans who might be going through something like this. “Letting them know they are worthy – that they are not a burden – is so important,” explains vocalist Nick Sakal. Guitarist, John Love continues “The time we have all spent in quarantine magnifies feelings like this and we want to point people in the right direction. To Write Love On Her Arms is an amazing organization. We are so happy to call attention to what they are doing.”
Brothers John (guitar) and Billy Love (drums) combine as a songwriting engine for the trio that also includes childhood friend /power-vocalist Sakal. The push and pull between the very different siblings creates songs with Billy’s high energy / passion and John’s introspection / depth – the best of both worlds. With Nick’s warm, expressive vocal style, the songs are brought to life in the most authentic way. Combining what they learned from commercial rock contemporaries with elements they liked of Country and Pop songs, ASCENDIA has created a body of work that will unfold upon multiple listens. Early listener comparisons to Linkin Park and Nothing More bode well for the band members who are fans of those bands.
If Billy Love looks familiar, it’s because he (@billylovebaby) has a following on TikTok for his fitness tips, doled out with fun and attitude. He kills his haters with hilarity – using his gregarious nature and truly winning personality to amass a following of over 200k on the app. He makes the natural connection from fitness to drumming “I started working out for stamina – being able to play long shows without getting winded. Fitness went from something I did for practical reasons to something I really enjoyed. I am as excited to share our new music as I have been to share fitness advice.”
The band is getting ready to play shows after the long break necessitated by the pandemic. They can’t wait to get out there and meet you! Find the band at @ascendiamusic on all socials.