Chris Caulfield grapples with demons in his personal new single Stockholm Syndrome — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Based on the psychological condition of hostages who fall for their captors, the home-made track is a metaphor for the complicated relationship between drug users and their addictions. The song seamlessly weaves the grittiness of rock with after-dark hip-hop vibes and the sort of excellent production value typically associated with big-budget recording studios.
Themes of substance use and confronting mental health deterioration are explored in Stockholm Syndrome, and embedded within the refined harmonies are lyrics that pull no punches. Blink and you might miss the multi-level analogies, ranging from the most famous Disturbed song lyric to an infamous quote from The Shining. As Caulfield puts it, the song “refers to the concept of just time going by being the enemy. The song is in the context of medications and drugs and how they can both help and hurt the user.”
Caulfield is a multi-talented singer-songwriter whose eccentric harmonies and punchy compositions continue to defy genre conventions. He’s also an artist who has come a long way to get where he is. His profoundly personal lyrics come from an artist who has spent most of his life dealing with chronic pain and the toll it can have on one’s mental health.
Not surprisingly, the COVID pandemic challenged both the world, as well as Caulfield as he dealt with his own personal anguish. Determined not to give in, he set up his home studio and dove headfirst into music — dreaming up what is now coming to life. “The pandemic was like a tipping point for me,” he shares. “I started properly taking control of anxiety and depression, and music became my outlet.”
Check out Stockholm Syndrome above, listen to more from Chris Caulfield below, and find him at his website, Twitter and Instagram.
