The Ivory – “I’m a Mess” (audio) (download)

Best known as the bassist in North Carolina post-hardcore band Alesana, Shane Crump felt the need to branch out on his own with a side project. More specifically, events in his personal life spurred him in that direction, so he created the Ivory, whose debut EP Gloom came out last week. Much more melodically inclined than the scream-leaning Alesana, Crump places more focus on anthemic, piano-driven contemporary rock, and the first single “I’m a Mess” is a good indication of what to expect. Alesana fans should gravitate towards it – while not as loud its sense of melodrama is very similar – and any fan of mainstream rock should as well.

“The song ‘I’m a Mess’ is the soul of this record,” Crump tells PopMatters. “In the song I speak about being cheated on but, still loving that person and being utterly confused about where the relationship was headed. The heartbreak of a breakup I went through poured all those emotions out of me. It made me want to express my feelings about losing someone while still feeling deeply connected. I feel like most people go through that at some point, so I wrote a song about it. This song is for all the broken hearts that have not mended yet.”

We present the Ivory’s “I’m a Mess” as a free download, which can be obtained via the Soundcloud widget below. See the little arrow on the top right? Yeah, right there. Download away!

The Gloom EP is out now. Find it at iTunes.