EVIDENCE OF A STRUGGLE ‘Give Us A Kiss’ – new single visits controversy, teasing sophomore album (alternative rock)

Evidence of a Struggle explores timely controversy on ‘Give Us A Kiss’ single, teasing sophomore album

Chicago alternative rock outfit Evidence of a Struggle presents their controversial new single ‘Give Me A Kiss’, the second offering from their eponymous sophomore album, out May 9 via The Glue Factory and The Orchard, following the lead track ‘Eddy Derecho’.

Centred around the musings of multi-instrumentalist W P C Simmons V a.k.a. Rev. Billy Simmons, Evidence of a Struggle has grown since releasing their 2023 eponymous album to also involve Matt Walker (Smashing Pumpkins, Morrissey, of1000faces, Garbage, Filter) on drums, synths and bass, andJohn Airo, who provides visual art for the projects. The new album is a lyrical departure from Evidence of a Struggle’s 2023 debut instrumental album.

With recording, mixing and final production by Sanford Parker (Voivod, Russian Circles, Yob, Eyehategod, Wovenhand, Darkthrone), this album sees notable contributions by bassist Alan Berliant (Chris Connelly, Mavis Staples, Saint Asonia) and Solomon Walker (Liz Phair, Bryan Adams, Morrissey) with Grammy-nominated sound engineer Chris Gelin (Smashing Pumpkins, Trent Reznor, RZA, Tom Morello, Korn) handling post-production and mastering.

“‘Give is a Kiss’ is about incentivized control by media, government, religion, business, pharma, banking and mass media, who are not so subtly subduing us all with hollow psychological, monetary and chemical rewards to make us weak, malleable, dependent and wanting more just like that first kiss,” says Rev. Billy Simmons.

“We wanted to utilize some of the benefits (or curses as some would argue) of AI-assisted generative imagery. This is a different looking glass into everything affecting us, traveling within the same currents as the other songs or videos are flowing in regards to religion, money, war, inequity, inequality, pain, suffering, anger and, at the end of it all, hope. Still, it speaks through several differently-focused lenses, using this increasingly controversial technology. Maybe it can help everyone else look at themselves a little differently and avoid becoming part of the problem. Welcome to the uncanny valley. Give us a Kiss.”

Known for creating lush, cinematic, beautiful and sometimes chaotic compositions, Evidence of a Struggle spent most of 2024 weaving a dense tapestry of sonic, musical, lyrical and “visual observations” of what’s happening in our world now, in the past and what may happen in the future. Rooted within the chaos of our world, it is a loud and thoughtful sonic exploration of our unique ability as a species to harm, destroy, thoughtlessly marginalize, and discard with reckless disregard for anyone or anything outside of our immediate orbit.

“The video was created by Rev. Billy using a combination of analog and text-to-video AI generations. Over 100 generative video assets were edited using Final Cut Pro to make the final product. Each AI video I generated took 1 to 5 minutes, depending on bandwidth at The Glue factory. Not every text prompt resulted in a “good” video. For every single “good” 10-40 second generated video there were probably 3 To 5 that weren’t “good”. That’s a lot of time,” says Rev. Billy Simmons.

“It’s not the most efficient way to create a video, but I’m really happy about the uncanny valley it allows me to explore. Each attempt to describe the angles, lighting, motion, and nuances that I want to AI encourages me to critique how I approach lyrics for new songs and how I can be more succinct and descriptive as a songwriter and storyteller. This video contains many hidden and easy-to-miss surprises. Happy hunting.”

Transforming into a musical chameleon at night, Rev. Billy’s day to day entails running Rev. Billy’s Chop Shop, a salon with a creative space that regularly showcases artists’ work (declared by Chicago Reader as the city’s best gallery). The forthcoming ‘Eddy Derecho’ album is a lyrical departure from Evidence of a Struggle’s debut instrumental album.

Rev. Billy previously collaborated with notable artists, such as RCA artist Ké, Urge Overkill, Touch and Go, and major labels like BMG and Universal. In 2020, he returned to music in the midst of lockdown boredom, allowing him a continued creative outlet. Playing every instrument and recording his debut album at The Glue Factory studio, he then joined forces with Sanford Parker.

As of March 5, ‘Give Us A Kiss’ is available from fine digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. The full album will be released on vinyl, CD and digitally on May 9.

SINGLE CREDITS
All music written by William P C Simmons V (aka Rev. Billy)
William P C Simmons V – Vocals, Guitar, Synth
Matt Walker – Drums, Synth
Alan Berliant – Bass guitar
Recorded at The Glue Factory, Ming Music Studios, and Hypercube
Mixed & produced by Sanford Parker at Hypercube
Mastered by Chris Gelin at Opus Audio Labs.
Cover art and animations for Eddy Derecho by John Airo
Loveless Publishing ASCAP
‘Eddy Derecho’ video & cover artwork by John Airo
‘Give Us A Kiss’ cover artwork by Rev. Billy Simmons
Artist photos by Jeremy Glickstein
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

ALBUM TRACK LIST
01 Eddy Derecho
02 The Whale
03 Le Caution
04 Alma
05 Coulda
06 Ophan
07 Charity
08 Church Key
09 Bastion
10 Aethyrs
11 Give us a Kiss
12 Earthburner
13 We Want War