Power Animal’s Keith Hampson shares thoughts on mental illness, new track “Unkept”

After encountering a string of illnesses that kept him in bed for days at a time over the last year, Power Animal‘s Keith Hampson is back on his feet with new music and a new mission.  In an essay for Impose Magazine, Hampson details his nearly life-long experience with mental and neurological illnesses including Torrette’s syndrome, depression and ADHD, and talks about how writing his newest material was an outlet for dealing with things he had previously suppressed.

On “Unkept,” Power Animal’s first release since 2012 and understandably heavier than earlier tracks, a glitchy staccato synth balances Hampson’s poignant lyrics about isolation, illness and encountering good days between the bad ones.  The layers build to the point of competition in the second half of the song, reaching a manic and muddled peak that that mirrors the difficulty of finding clarity during a deep depression.

Listen to “Unkept” below and see Power Animal live at Bourbon & Branch on Friday, May 2nd with Worshyper and Dream Safari.  More information can be found here.