Brighton, UK’s As It Is has premiered a powerful new music video for their song “Hey Rachel,” taken from their latest full-length album, okay., which is now available on iTunes. Written and directed by Joshua Halling, the video reimagines the childhood story of vocalist Patty…
Brighton, UK’s As It Is has premiered a powerful new music video for their song “Hey Rachel,” taken from their latest full-length album, okay., which is now available on iTunes. Written and directed by Joshua Halling, the video reimagines the childhood story of vocalist Patty Walters and his sister Rachel, weaving in a very personal battle with depression while leaving the audience with an empowering and inspirational conclusion.The video features home-recorded footage of the two as children, with the plot circling around Walters inability to understand his sister’s depression and anxiety. He explains, “‘Hey Rachel’ was an especially cathartic song to write, reopening old wounds after nearly ten years. Writing the song demanded being painfully honest with both myself and my sister, neither of which I was particularly comfortable doing. I had to relive past feelings of fear, sorrow, anger, pain, and, most of all, regret. The song is an apology I’m relieved and proud to have finally said. It’s such a beautiful and powerful music video, and I’m ecstatic to finally be sharing it.” “My brother sent me ‘Hey Rachel’ without having any knowledge that they were writing it,” Rachel says.“I first listened to it at 10 a.m., and I immediately started sobbing, because it brought back so many emotions and memories from a time in my past that was very difficult for me. My brother also asked for my permission to put it on the album, and my initial reaction was actually ‘no’; it’s a scary and intimidating feeling to put a private story out into the public for everyone to hear and judge, but the feedback and the support everyone has given the song has made it a little easier to handle. And just so everyone knows, I forgave him years ago.”After its Jan. 20 release, okay. landed at #1 on the U.S. Billboard Heatseekers Chart, #1 Alternative New Albums Chart, and has received much positive acclaim, having scored rave reviews from critics. As It Is just wrapped up a string of headline dates in Japan and are currently touring in Australia until Feb. 12 before heading out on an EU/UK tour as support to State Champs, starting on Feb. 21. Scroll down for a full list of tour dates.AS IT IS TOUR DATESAUSTRALIA Feb 7 – Newcastle @ DroneFeb 10 – Melbourne @ The Evelyn Hotel Feb 11 – Melbourne @ The Evelyn Hotel Feb 12 – Adelaide @ Fowler’s Live w/ STATE CHAMPSFeb 21 – Bilbao, Spain @ Stage LiveFeb 22 – Barcelona, Spain @ Razzamatazz Feb 23 – Madrid, Spain @ El Sol Feb 25 – Paris, France @ La Boule NoireFeb 26 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ MelkwegFeb 28 – Cologne, Germany @ LuxorMar 1 – Hamburg, Germany @ LogoMar 2 – Berlin, Germany @ Bi NuuMar 3 – Vienna, Austria @ Arena Mar 5 – Milano, Italy @ Legend Club Mar 6 – Karlsruhe, Germany @ Die StadtmitteMar 7 – Antwerpen, Belgium @ Trix Mar 9 – Southampton, UK @ Engine RoomsMar 10 – Bristol, UK @ O2 AcademyMar 11 – Manchester, UK @ O2 RitzMar 13 – Newcastle, UK @ Riverside Mar 14 – Glasgow, UK @ GarageMar 16 – Leeds, UK @ Beckett Uni Mar 17 – Birmingham, UK @ O2 Institute Mar 18 – London, UK @ O2 Forum
