Melbourne post-punk band PINCH POINTS have shared the music video for their vital new single, ‘AM I OKAY?’, a taste from their forthcoming album Process.
A plea to care for one’s own mental health, ‘AM I OKAY?’ is urgent and insistent. “So just take a breath / It’s good to ask yourself, ‘Am I okay?’,” the band repeatedly implore throughout the track.
Directed by Michael Ridley, the music video was filmed at Mycelium Studios. It sees the four band members – Acacia Coates, Adam Smith, Jordan Oakley, and Isabella Orsini – meet four doppelgängers. Embodying the theme of self-care, they tend to their lookalikes, offering them some much-needed comfort and attention as they go through a rough patch.
The vocals are raw and realistic, delivered precariously and shakily, the way four young people in the midst of an undefined and uncertain global time should sound. “Look after yourself for a change! / I know the world is fucking crap / But you didn’t cause that / So give yourself a hug,” is the sage advice on offer.
‘AM I OKAY?’ focuses on the same themes as previous single, the self-explanatory ‘Reasons To Be Anxious’, drawing attention to the need for care and comfort in these difficult times. It feels timely, with no hint of irony or insouciance; the point at the heart of the song is clearly of too much importance.
“We stepped a little out of our normal songwriting comfort zone with this track,” the band shared in a statement. “We wanted to be very direct and sincere, without any irony or character-driven lyrics.
Musically, we leaned into a softer jangle feel too. We really enjoyed exploring a new side of the PINCH POINTS sound. It was one of the only tracks on the album where we were still finalising the lyrics in the studio, on the day we recorded it. It came together really naturally though, and ended up being one of our collective faves.”
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‘AM I OKAY?’ is taken from the band’s highly-anticipated new album, Process, due out on March 18th. It was recorded with Anna Laverty (Courtney Barnett, Nick Cave) and its 10 songs are forthright confrontations with the current fractures in so-called Australia: from catastrophic bushfires to gendered violence, mental health struggles to First Nations incarcerations and deaths in custody. All are explored with empathy and a clear sense of community and it’s classic PINCH POINTS – rip-roaring punk but with an important message.
The band will be launching Process with a special show at The Corner on April 2nd, with MOD CON, Alien Nosejob, and Our Carlson set to support. Tickets go on sale tomorrow via corner hotel.com.
‘AM I OKAY?’ is out now on Mistletone Records (AU/NZ) and Exploding In Sound Records (U.S.).
PROCESS is out on March 18th and can be pre-ordered here.
Check out ‘AM I OKAY?’ by PINCH POINTS:
