Toronto Indie Folk Outfit TEN KILLS THE PACK Returns with New Single + Video “Honestly, Fuck You”
April 8, 2022 BY Jason Currell
Toronto indie-folk outfit Ten Kills the Pack returns with a striking new single + video “Honestly, Fuck You.” The powerfully candid message serves as an ode to touring musicians and the mental conflicts that arise from life on the road. Songwriter Sean Sroka’s brutally honest lyricism is unshielded in this sparse track that features a sullen acoustic guitar, bass, and light piano. Lines like, honestly, thank you for trying / although your pep talk won’t work / I just need to gather all my memories / and burn ones that hurt, illustrate the helpless feeling of an artist in mental anguish. Listen to “Honestly, Fuck You” on all digital retailers (here).
Sroka elaborates on the song saying, “The song is a swirling accumulation of situations and feelings from the road that rolled through my head when I started writing while driving home one night. Within the weight of these moments that needed to be laughed at or faced, the song’s point of gravity is a personal story of a relationship ending thousands of miles from home while trying to get through a deteriorating stomach lining issue from alcohol and anxiety. When I say this all out loud it definitely sounds a bit dark, but this song really is just a long winded and funny way of saying ‘thank you’ to those friends who get you through it, when it truly feels like you can’t.”
The accompanying music video sees Sroka in a dimly lit car, contemplating his thoughts. The visuals echo the song putting the lyrics front and center, projecting on the windshield.
Watch & Share “Honestly, Fuck You” Here:
Sean Sroka, the Toronto-based songwriter behind the contemporary folk project Ten Kills The Pack, has made his mark in recent years by blending together literate, poetic observances and incisive musings on the human condition with cunningly composed and hard-hitting songcraft and instrumentation. His acclaimed 2019 debut release, Force Majeure, introduced his talents through the lens of a defined Toronto cityscape and its cosmopolitan hustle, bustle, beauty, and heartache.
In 2021 Ten Kills the Pack shared the five-song EP Life, Death, & Afterwards. Sroka expanded his scope to focus on even bigger targets—a search for interpersonal purpose, and the clarity that comes from space and growth—while losing none of the intimacy nor observant expressiveness for which Ten Kills The Pack has become known. Produced by Dave Cerminara (Father John Misty, Cold War Kids, Dawes), Life, Death, & Afterwards realizes the potential of his debut to deliver on all promised levels. By expertly weaving together profoundly universal themes to which all listeners can relate with razor sharp songwriting plus lush and layered organic sounds, Sroka has established Ten Kills The Pack as one of modern folk music’s leading voices.
Stay tuned for more from Ten Kills the Pack.
TEN KILLS THE PACK IN THE PRESS…
“…poignant, heartfelt, nostalgic, and relatable to all as the artist puts sparse, but vivid words to a familiar struggle for satisfaction, happiness, and contentment…”-Atwood Magazine
“Sroka has established Ten Kills the Pack as a leading voice in modern folk music.”-Exclaim!
“…exquisite… beautifully crafted…”-Indie88
