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Awesome!
East Bay punk rocker and mental health advocate Tess Stevens has been fighting off her demons with the release of her EP Patient 139. The album is inspired by “all the things that scare us, but now those fears and heartaches are out in the open and we can all celebrate them together.” The release is a four track punk ode to a stay at a mental hospital. Raw, gritty punk with pop woven through the cooing background vocals, the EP is a lighter ending to the memory with a grand slam EP chocked full of bops.
“Patient 139 was written in a mental hospital after I had decided I was going to end my own life,” Tess Stevens said. “I kept these feelings secret for weeks and one horrible evening, after taking a new depression medication the thoughts came to the surface. I was completely broken and unable to see past my depression.”
The opening track is a nod to the room number Stevens was held in. Stevens vocals are soft yet abrasive in the same nature East Bay punk rock like Green Day and Jawbreaker with velvety tones. Down to the way the track was written, on newspaper with a crayon, shows the strong nature of Stevens to persevere. Pushing into “Tourist”, the track holds lyrics like “I feel like a tourist in my own life” and punchy guitar. With “Westwood” as the song with more stripped vocals and percussion, a palette cleanser in the EP as the release comes to a close with “Counselor”; the most vulnerable song in the collection. With acoustic, twangy guitar and tambourine, Stevens uses the lyrics as a way to speak to her counselor through song. The emotional wherewithal of the EP packs a punch and brings in any listener with the sensitive information Stevens brings to the table, which is what she set out to do. A true rebel against the status quo, the vulnerability in Stevens’ voice is brave and inspiring.
“I was so ashamed but now, after going through that experience and now hearing my new record, I am proud and unafraid,” Stevens said. “I never thought I’d get to properly record it, let alone have it turn into my own national anthem, about recovering from the darkness, taking it back, and coping with your own demons. I hope that anyone who listens to this record finds the strength within themselves to keep going.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental illness, go to mentalhealth.gov/get-help/immediate-help for more information. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255 or go to https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ for more information.
