We have been avidly following the recent releases of Saint Nick the Lesser, including the high-octane, subversive and witty, God Bless, as well as the intentional and profound hope-core anthem, Anne-Marie, and the emotive and metaphorical, Train Tracks, so when we heard that the talented artist was back with 21 Minutes, we couldn’t wait to listen and share our experience.
Drawing us in with a vibrant, strummed guitar performance, Saint Nick the Lesser opens 21 Minutes with a suicidal tale as he sings, “January 1, 2015, I spent 21 minutes dancing over my sink, bathroom door locked, hands open, palms up, razor blade next to me… I’d had enough…”
The opus expands with to showcase Saint Nick the Lesser‘s poetic prowess and timeless, instrumental mastery as he conveys what is clearly a story of trauma – quite graphic in detail with gory nuances about his lived experience. In the song, the star is eventually saved “that’s when they broke the door down, tearing me away…”.
The mood of the song becomes more philosophical as Saint Nick the Lesser throws back to six months ago when he built an internal wall to cover his true feelings. The overarching message is hope and resilience as Saint Nick the Lesser invites us and his former self to “take a breath cos everything will be ok…” and finally reminds us all that he is, and we are, enough.
Speaking on the intention of the release, Saint Nick the Lesser says, “This song is the apex of both who I am, and what I’m about as an artist: the communication of the inherent worth in all of us, the excruciating beauty, the unbearable pain on the road to catharsis, every karmic cycle of birth, death, and re-birth which all point to inexorable conclusion: it’s worth it.”
He confesses, “I’ve struggled on/off with suicidality many times in my life, but the experiences which this song draws inspiration from were based on a particularly dark time in my life. Though not a complete 1-1 retelling of what happened, the song encapsulates the depths of despair I found myself in at that time. The hopelessness, the monumental sense of abandonment and alienation, coupled with bouts of frenzied mania to offset the encroaching sense of doom and inevitable oblivion I felt are primal and borderline ineffable. My hope is that you never experience that. My certainty though, is that even if you do, it’s not the end-that as contrived and banal as this may sound, that there is, and always will be hope. This is ultimately the point of this song, and the message I wanted to communicate.”
We always appreciate the raw emotional depth that Saint Nick the Lesser brings to life with his artistry, and this time the song comes with a cinematic music video which sees the star perform in his element, amidst a room of words that reflect the hopeful, yet real message of the song.
On the vibrant soundscape, the star tells us, “21 Minutes draws heavy inspiration more specifically from Frank Turner. I’ve always loved how he blends hopeful optimism and world-weariness amidst a sonic background which sounds equally uplifting and tired. I wanted to emulate the hopeful imagery I’ve often found present in his music in a similar manner, and can trace a lot of parallels in tone between this song and some of his.”
We have added 21 Minutes to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and also our TRIPPY and TIMELESS playlists, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Saint Nick the Lesser, and anticipate future releases.