David Myles Announces New Album, Shares Single “Break Free”
It’s so often that the anthems we hear on the radio are about cut-and-dried sentiments—the party songs and the ‘going it alone’ tunes. But what about the real stuff of life, the big feelings that aren’t so simple? Don’t we all know what it feels like to need another person? And what it feels like to be totally unable to tell them that?
With its driving rhythms and rolling piano, David Myles’ lead single, “Break Free”— from his forthcoming album Devil Talking (out May 24 via Little Tiny Records / turtlemusik, Distributed by Warner Music Canada) —offers a new take on the anthem. It’s something softer, more open and honest, diving into what it feels like to hide our most vulnerable selves from the people closest to us.
“It’s about how pride can lead us to hide our pain, fake strength we don’t have, and even lie to the ones we love most, and eventually lose them,” Myles says. “It’s about what keeps us from getting close to one another, even when we know we need each other.”
But Myles—and the song’s rousing energy—insists that this dance needn’t be cause for total despair. It’s only human to feel tethered to each other, and the more we accept it, the easier we can embrace it. Over a toe-tapping beat, Myles admits to the lies he’s told—about being afraid of losing his loved ones and missing his father—and slowly emancipates himself from our greatest deception: that we can go it alone. He seals things with a joyous flugelhorn solo and a dreamy, plaintive piano outro, leaving space for reflection.
Myles carves out his own sonic path with “Break Free,” leaving behind the typical fare and pomp of the radio anthem for a subject more worthy of fist-pumping: the reality of how inextricably bound we are to each other, and how difficult—and liberating—it can be to understand that.
“I wanted this song to feel anthemic even though the subject matter was serious,” shares Myles. “For me, one of the most exciting parts of the song was not only its honesty but also its musical buildup towards the horn part. The melodic climb towards the horn outro really felt like a release for me. Where all the hurt of the verses is let go, and we’re shot into a new feeling of relief. Like a great therapy session!“