Pop music is often used as a means for voyeuristic escape — a fantasy land full of first-world problems and songs about love to get lost in long enough that we can temporarily forget about the scary and cynical world that we live in. Dom Fricot is the kind of artist that aspires to change that. He understands the power and reach of pop music, from the way people are captivated by a simple and hypnotic beat to how quick we are to memorize a hook and regurgitate.
Today, I’m excited to team up with Dom to release the politically charged song and video for “Help Is Needed.” The song touches on the unfortunate reality that is our current political climate and sets it to a mesmorizing beat, starting with a harrowing “Babylon/Babylon is shaking/Fire rains upon the ground/Babylon/Babylon’s begging/save our sons/save our daughters” that carries us into “I’m not saying I know how/we could make this right/I’m not saying that it’s possible/I’m saying that we have to try/I’m not saying it won’t hurt/We’re sure to take our beatings/I’m not saying we’re failing/I’m just trying to say that help is needed” and you can hear the heartache in his otherwise angelic vocals. The music video itself matches the story told in the lyrics — fire rains from the sky in a war-torn hellscape.
When asked about the track, Dom Fricot said: “I’d been touring around Europe in and was crossing into the UK just days after the Bataclan attacks in Paris. I’d crossed the border into the UK so many times and always had such a pleasant experience and for once the border guards, in my opinion, were being downright cold and cruel to anyone with an accent that wasn’t British, North American or Western European. There was a lot of talk at the time of governments becoming even more strict with their borders and immigration policies and I just saw the time as one to almost do the exact opposite. I know it almost sounds cliche and idealistic but I truly don’t believe that refugees should be turned away and made to fend for themselves. If we want to try to create peace we have to do it with love and acceptance. The song was born out of that time and also the overwhelming feeling of not really knowing where to start because the problem just seems too big to address.”
He continues “I think I want people to walk away empowered to know that we are all part of the problem(s) and therefore all can and have to be part of the solution. Empowered in knowing that whatever we can do will help. I think in line with that quote that states something along the lines of ‘don’t try to change the world, but do what makes you come alive”. Or maybe the “be the change you wanna see in the world.'”
The music video for “Help Is Needed” can be seen above. Dom Fricot’s new album, Deserts, will be out March 23rd.
