Fake Talk – “Swallow”

Sometimes in the darkest days you find the brightest light. Winnipeg’s alt-rock quintet, Fake Talk, truthfully encapsulates this message in their new song, “Swallow.”

Written during one of the toughest times of band member Nic Herzog’s life, the song explores the determination despite his despair, and the shining beacon of hope he had in his life.

NH: The song was basically written as a creative outlet during a period of crisis in my own life. I’ve lived with bi-polar disorder (manic depression) since childhood. Last spring I suffered the worst manic episode I can recall. I ended up severing a number of relationships that night and spent 24 hours in psychiatric care. My wife spent the entire night with me on a cold plastic slab in the middle of an empty white room. It turned out that I had been prescribed improper medication, which had thrown my chemistry completely out of balance, causing me to lose control entirely.

“It was my life and I needed to become proactive about my health instead of being a slave to my illness.”

During the following week of quiet contemplation and reflection spent laying in my bed in the dark, I acknowledged that although it seemed that my mental health was regressing rapidly, that it was my life and I needed to become proactive about my health instead of being a slave to my illness. And during that time of desperation, humility and grief, I thought about my wife in order to focus on the positivity in my life. I wrote this song during that week.

Since then, I’ve found a plethora of resources through the Canadian Mental Health Association which have not only helped me to recover, but to live a fuller and more positive life than I ever had. Every day brings its share of challenges, but every day I’m getting better.

I wanted this project to be somewhat of a beacon to anybody who deals with mental illness, and give hope to those as desperate as I was.

Check out the music video for “Swallow” below. Digital downloads are available through Bandcamp – with all proceeds donated to Inspire Community Outreach Inc. – a Winnipeg non-profit organization that provides youth and their families resources to help cope with mental health and mood disorders.