Gregory Childs & Heart Lung get under your skin and tug at your soul with the grim beauty and desperate intensity of their new single From The Chest — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
The story of a man grieving the death of his wife — and beseeching the powers that be to forgive his sinful life and let him join her in heaven — the Toronto alt-country band’s latest single delivers an emotional wallop that hits you like a freight train. “It details the desperate pleas he makes to God as he asks to be allowed into heaven despite living a life of less-than-Christian ideals and shortfalls,” explains Childs. “It’s about praying your own way and being a good person without necessarily following all the rules laid out by organized religion.”
Not surprisingly, From The Chest comes from a very personal place of loss. “I wrote this song out of inspiration and through a dedication to my own lost friend, a drummer who passed away too young,” he explains. “He was a devout Christian but struggled to keep up with the church-going ideals requested in the bible. A good heart that stumbled, fell and ultimately pleaded ‘take me home’ through his own songwriting. He left a legacy that continues to breathe in the whole band.
“This song was catalyzed by my owns fears — fearing loss, fearing being split apart from passed-on loved ones,” adds Childs. “It’s a message to higher powers, a request to look beyond the superficial when casting final judgment on mortals and to give us a break for all our earthly shortcomings.”
From The Chest was recorded last winter at Pineship Sound in Toronto with the help of studio owners and Zeus members Carlin Nicholson and Mike O’Brien. From The Chest follows up the band’s debut EP Baby Blue, released in late 2020, and the one-off single Lonesome from last May. Formed in 2019, the group also includes Childs’ wife Tyrah, Nick Cousins on harmonica, Brent Kervin on bass and Zachary Moloci on drums and vocals. Their bio says they play “outlaw country spun up with a Cobain grease, confusion and classic heart bleeds,” which sums things up quite poetically.
Gregory Childs & Heart Lung have been tearing up legendary stages around Toronto, including The Horseshoe and The Dakota Tavern, for the past few years. With at least two more singles planned for release in the coming months, they hope to expand their roots and roll beyond the GTA.
Check out From The Chest above, hear more from Gregory Childs & Heart Lung below, and join the prayer circle at their website, Facebook and Instagram.
