amethysts-how-it-is-premiere

Photo: Clarice Parrot

Amethysts Encourage Men to Open Up in Video for “How It Is” (premiere)

British electropop duo, Amethysts shine a much needed spotlight on society's approach to male mental health on "How It Is".

Where do you go when the rug gets pulled out from under you? Who do you turn to when you’re at your lowest ebb? For many of us, we are lucky enough to have a reliable support network, people to turn to when life seems hopeless. We can count on friends, family, or other agencies to pull us through. However, for many men, these networks just don’t exist, or there are personal and societal barriers that prevent them from accessing them. Not only, does the society we live in not equip men with the necessary tools to cope, when life leaves them stranded, it does little to encourage them to be more open and to seek out help when it’s most needed.

That is the issue that electronic duo, Amethysts, have chosen to shine a light on with their new video for their superbly atmospheric, dark, electropop track “How It Is”. Directed by Jacob Parrott, the video depicts the stages of a relationship, from the first hopeful text messages to the unnamed couples’ first kiss. It captures their growth as they drop any pretense and exist as a unit until the cracks steadily begin to show and the distance between them grows. Soon their paths begin to diverge, and before they know it, they have veered too far off course to find their way back. With the inevitable collapse of the relationship, the boyfriend is left bereft. In the closing moments of the video, he is lost, keeping a tight stopper on his emotions. Not knowing where to turn, he isolates himself further, disappearing into a well of despair.

The video understands that this can be the most dangerous time for male mental health. When a relationship fails, men can close themselves off, “put a brave face on it”, and hide their feelings from even those closest to them. That is when men need to know that it is alright to open up and that there are people out there who will listen without passing judgment. By pairing their song with the video, Amethysts have admirably chosen to keep the conversation about men’s mental health and depression in the public eye.

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