The forceful new single from Brighton's post hardcore act, Chalk Hands, is titled Les jours passent et ne ressemblent pas, and it's the newest track surfacing from the band's upcoming first album, Don't Think About Death, which will be released on March 18th, 2022 via Dog Knights Productions.
The single is the album's sole song with French lyrics, and a succinct piece for many reasons, including its emotionality and affectivity. The track is accompanied by an imaginative video featuring amazing animations produced by the Chalk Hands' member under the alias Diddums Doodles.
The quartet's guitarist and vocalist Antoine describes the creative approach and the song's objective:
"“Les jours passent et ne me ressemblent pas” is the first song we wrote for the album. It’s raw, short and passionate and it’s the only song in French on the record, as it’s my native language and I thought it’d work well with the more European screamo sound this song showcases as well as allowing me to express myself in a more honest and unaltered fashion.
"Thematically, it's a song about how depression changes the way we behave and think, to the point where you feel like you lose your sense of self. At the time of writing the lyrics, I was in a pretty dark place, it seemed to me like everything that used to feel important in my life - whether it was things that usually bring me happiness or the people I love - lost all value and I had this strong impression that everything could just be replaced.
"“Everything could have been anything else and it would have just as much meaning” was a quote I remember thinking about a lot back then. I felt it was a rather depressing way of looking at your life choices, the paths you’ve taken and the people you’ve chosen to be part of your life. If everything could’ve been different and have as much meaning, how do you attach value to anything? Am I just holding on to the things that make my life what it is in fear of losing who I am or are they really meaningful to me?
"The title comes from a French idiom which means something like ‘the days go by and aren’t alike’ (somewhat equivalent to the saying ‘tomorrow is another day’) but I’ve twisted a word to say ‘days go by and I don’t recognise myself’.
"Things have changed for me now thankfully, I think I’ve somehow learned to deal with these negative thoughts a lot better and I feel like I grew from it. It’s pushed me to take more control over my life and question why I do the things I do."
-
Chalk Hands
Cover art by Tommy Lester
Video animation by Diddums Doodles
Dog Knights Productions
♡
