by Jill McCracken new single brought to you by ghosts. Specifically, by Ghost Hit Recording in West Springfield and by the ghost of an unwelcome – but ultimately telling – panic attack.
The Boston singer-songwriter launches ‘Help Me Hold Me Heal Me’ today (May 12), just a week before his May 19 headlining show at Brighton Music Hall. The new track finds her asking for the care she deserves in explicit terms – but don’t confuse her belt with begging.
“I wrote the song while coming out of a panic attack last year,” McCracken said. Vanyaland. “The song is a reflection of my panicked mental state when I really feel like I need help but can’t ask for it, which I often do.”
Stuck in empty space, McCracken put her thoughts to paper. Sentences came out in spurts. Help me. Hold me. Take care of me. She drew strength from the simplicity of her words and manipulated them like little puzzle pieces. As she turned her notes into a chorus, she came to one conclusion: Asking for a little love doesn’t have to be nerve-wracking or embarrassing.
“Intellectually, I know I have people in my life who want to love me and support me, but once they’re not right in front of me to show me they love me, it can be easy for me. me to get paranoid and feel like I’m just too much for everyone and they secretly resent me…so I don’t want to ask anyone,” she explains. “That feeling definitely comes of how my world was set up when I was a kid. I felt very loved and adored half the time, then felt the opposite the other half of the time. I learned that having no needs would earn me the most love from others. Which of course isn’t how it works — turns out you’re supposed to need people!”
Emboldened by a backing vocal team, plenty of layered follow-ups, and string arrangements, McCracken affirms her needs with an added dose of soul — which is saying a lot (no pun intended), given that soul is his speciality. “help me, hold me, heal me” may conjure up that retro sound, but it fits into the 21st century with a wholesome attitude toward accepting the care we all need, even when we can’t find it. the words to explain to us properly.
“The verses explore that idea through a more empathetic lens – ‘yeah, how could I have known? concludes McCracken. “Of course, I need to feel seen, heard and reassured about someone’s love – because I learned early on that I couldn’t rest easy knowing that love was just going to be there. Everything becomes clear.”
Login below, then help her, hold her and heal her from the barricade at Brighton Music Hall next Thursday.
JILL MCCRACKEN + GATCH :: Thursday, May 19 at the Brighton Music Hall, 158 Brighton Ave. at Allston, MA :: 18+, 7 p.m., $15 :: Advance Tickets :: Facebook Event Page
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