John Joseph Brill reveals the latest step in his sonic progression, one that steers his gravelly baritone towards ‘80s electronic-pop with a bearing of folk-rock stemming from his close collaboration with Andrew Davie (of Bear’s Den). ‘I’m Not Alright’ presents a more restrained, softer style than what we’ve heard from Brill before, but it’s one you can’t help warming up to, even considering the unfortunate circumstances that inspired this track. As Brill explains, “At the time of writing the song I'd just been through a break-up and found myself broke and with nowhere to live. And while superficially that's what the song's about, it grew into something deeper for me. These are strange and uncertain times and I really believe that no matter what your story is, everyone should feel like if they need to, they can raise their hand and say "I'm Not Alright" and for that to be OK." It’s an intricate, beautiful and reassuring statement that it’s okay to not be okay. - HT