Vince Grant - My Depression Is Always Trying to Kill Me

He may not know it or care, but Vince Grant's debut EP is a very noble and brave release. The title could not be more in-your-face: "My Depression is Always Trying to Kill Me". This title is not only self-explanatory, but shockingly honest. In just five songs, this EP, released in February, takes the listener on a journey through the trials or suffering with a mental illness with, dare I say it, brutal resonance for anyone who has been through a similar issue.

Vince Grant started his musical journey when he moved from Chicago to Venice Beach in California and began playing on the boardwalk there. After many failed attempts to work with bands and travelling all over the United States, Grant was an unsatisfied musician with a serious drugs and alcohol problem. It eventually got so bad that he was forced to stop and deal with the addiction and his underlying life-long battle with depression. Through his recovery process, Grant found that the one healthy thing he was doing to cope with his issues was writing.

Grant describes his style as "alternative indie gothic rock," and 'Melancholia,' the album's lead track, is closest to that description, but not quite. The rest of the album is definitely alternative rock, but with more of a late-90s power ballad feel and some organs in the background which, if pressed, can sound a bit gothic. It's definitely not what the European understanding of gothic is, but we'll forgive him for it, won't we? The writing on this album is what really shines, and it is his debut, after all. Both lyrically and compositionally Grant has the structure and the sentiment needed to make a great album.

'Melancholia' is the lead track and first single on "My Depression Is Always Trying to Kill Me". It opens simply enough with Grant's acoustic guitar and the afore-mentioned pseudo-goth organ. After the first verse, more of an indie-style rock ballad takes over through the chorus and the coda. Grant's extraordinary and poignant lyrics will hit listeners right away as he describes the struggle of falling and staying in love while suffering with a mental illness.

Gran's vocals have a rather unique sound, similar to Warren Zevon. While Grant decided to go solo for this album, he has a number of musicians who helped him with the album: Doug Green plays the sharp and emotive electric guitar and the semi-gothic keys. Keith Larsen plays drums on the album. All of the songs are musically well-composed, but by the third song, 'Edge of the World', it does get a little samey-sounding. The extraordinarily personal and sometimes gut-wrenching lyrics make quick work of any potential for boredom, however, as the brutal honesty of each verse forces the listener to pay attention.

Another highlight of "My Depression is Always Trying to Kill Me" is the closing track, 'Sweet Addiction'. This means the EP is book-ended with Grant's two most personal and poignant tracks. This track also has the most interesting guitar work from Doug Green. The tear-jerking lyrics from Grant make this song so visceral as he describes the experience of drug withdrawal that you feel you're in the bed shivering and burning up along with him. With the end of the physical withdrawal comes the realization that the battle is not nearly over, as the causal depression has yet to be dealt with. There is no period on the end of this sentence as the EP ends; Grant's journey has just begun.

As I said in the beginning of this piece, "My Depression Is Always Trying to Kill Me" is a very up-front title for Vince Grant's debut EP, but it is also apt. It is certain that the album's completion and release was very cathartic for Grant and hopefully it will also serve as a beacon of hope to those listeners who may be similarly afflicted with mental illness and addiction. Parts of the album are available to stream on Vince Grant's Soundcloud page, and the entire work is available for purchase on CD Baby. Mar 31 2015