A North East-based rock band has unveiled a video for their “powerful” new single about mental health. 

Juliet’s Not Dead, formerly known as Twister, released the video for Battle Scarred on Thursday (November 28) in conjunction with the Samaritans and Durham Mental Health Alliance. 

It comes as the band, which headlined Riverside Newcastle on Saturday (November 30) evening, prepares to release their forthcoming new album The World Is Ours, earmarked to release on February 7 next year. 

 “Battle Scarred is so powerful, not just in sound but in its meaning,” Stevie Stoker said. “Many of us have had moments where we have suffered from depression. 

“A couple of years ago I was in a really dark place and I had to rely on the people around me to pull me through. I have to say without them I’m not sure where I’d be. 

“Battle Scarred actually started out as three different song ideas that we reworked in our pre-production process and it didn’t fully come to life until we got into the studio with our producer (Romesh Dodangoda).

“I remember playing with lyric lines and that’s when it came to me that this was basically a conversation I’ve had with myself many times. The uncontrollable back and forth of a troubled mind is evident in these lyrics, and it almost feels like it’s about to explode. 

“For me putting this down on paper was in a way a kind of therapy and I’m so pleased that we can now share it with everyone. It means so much to me.”

Stevie added that, while people talk more and more about mental health, he still feels that men, in particular, “keep things bottled up”. 

He said this is why he is using the song to “shine a light” on Durham Mental Health Alliance and the Samaritans - with the band’s very own Niall Whittaker set to climb Kilimanjaro this month for the charity. 

The new video, which can be viewed online here, stars British actor Darren Morfitt, who is a friend of the band and has previously had roles in Coronation Street and Dog Soldiers. 

Speaking about the upcoming album, Stevie said he thinks it is “the best music we[‘ve ever written”.

He explained: “t was also the most enjoyable writing and recording process I’ve ever been a part of. Jack and I wrote for most of 2023. 

“We were even recording demos while on tour around Europe. From the get-go, we knew what we wanted to say with this collection of songs. As a band, you come up against so many challenges and we wanted this album to reflect all of the emotions, difficult decisions, and strong bonds we’ve made over the last couple of years.

“Getting the songs ready to record for the final time is always my favourite part of the process but also one of the trickiest. We demo them fully, so every layer and part is where it should be, and critique and change bits until we are happy with it. 

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“However, it’s sometimes difficult to know when you’re done. Thankfully we had the right production team behind it, approaching it with a clear view of what we wanted the final result to be. 

“Romesh Dodangoda [producer] and the boys at Longwave made our job easy and we literally smiled and laughed our way through it. We hope anyone who hears it will hear the joy behind the music no matter the subject.” 

You can pre-save the new album here: https://tmrrockrecords.com/collections/juliets-not-dead