Today’s song is “Rock Bottom” by Blueanimal. The Orlando, Florida group is comprised of Luke Elms (lead/background Vocals, songwriter, rhythm guitar, producer), Matt Lube (bass guitar), Luis Rexach (lead guitarist), and Aaron Gandia (drummer, head engineer, producer).
Blueanimal started as a side project for Luke and Matt with Luke playing electric guitar and singing while Matt played the bass in their “electric duo.” Eventually, the side project grew into their main project and they started writing their debut album Hippies & Beauty Queens which released in 2015. The release was received well with tracks “Free” and “Dark Places” receiving strong reception.
After the release, the duo moved to fill out the band for live performances in the southeast. They found willing participants in two of the engineers that worked on the first album. Ry joined on lead guitar and Aaron joined on the drums. The four members soon set out on the ambitious project of working on two records simultaneously with the first release of the project Hollow Heart debuted in 2018. The album revived a 90s rock feel with an eclectic Blueanimal tone with the track “Follow The Hard” being well received by bloggers and playlists.
During their latest project, Ry parted ways with the band and the lead guitarist role has been filled by Luis who joined with a wealth of experience from his major label days of the 2000s as frontman of the band Some Other Life.
This track is off the band’s third full-length album Figment That Was Me (due date TBD). This song has a roaring and exciting flare of 90’s inspired grunge along with an important message.
Wanting to bring awareness to mental health this song plays part in the darker concept album showing real-world struggles among those suffering from depression. Vocalist/guitarist and songwriter Luke Elms explains,
Our new project Figment That Was Me is a departure from our previous albums’ sound to a more grunge-inspired sound. I wrote this album as a concept album telling the story of a person descending into and rising out of a battle with depression and the consequences it has on his relationships, self-image, and all facets of his life.
Our world is in the midst of a pandemic of Covid-19. But, an epidemic that was present before Covid, and will unfortunately still be raging after, is the epidemic of mental health issues and the struggles of public perception, awareness, and stigma that comes along with it. My hope is this album can help take people on a journey through this character’s struggle that will allow those that have fortunately not experienced mental health issues to gain a better understanding and those that are currently struggling to not feel so alone.
Listen below and for more information on Blueanimal check out their official website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.