Irish singer and song-writer Moncrieff has unveiled an incredibly powerful and emotional music video for his new single 'Young Men.' The hard-hitting music video captures the important message conveyed through the single, by narrating a crucial message on the topic of men's mental health. The song was penned with the intention of making young men's feelings validated and normalising speaking out when going through a difficult time.
An indescribable amount of emotion, hard work and deep thought has gone into the creation of the seven-minute music video. Moncrieff, his team and all of the actors in the music video convey such a sensitive message in a manner that is somewhat endearing, telling a story that is no doubt sadly all too familiar in society today.
You can watch the music video for 'Young Men' below.
'Young Men' is taken from Moncrieff's recent EP, titled 'Highways & Hurricanes,' which features five original songs, including previous singles 'Perfect' and 'What Am I Here For,' dealing with love, loss, struggle, vulnerability and finding inner strength. Moncrieff's song-writing carries a phenomenal sense of vulnerability. He pours absolutely everything into his music and every performance.
When speaking about the single, Moncrieff explains:
"Growing up in small-town Ireland, men's mental health was never something that was talked about. As a man, if you're hurting emotionally, you're expected to man up and deal with it or failing that, as is so common in my area, all problems were pushed down and drowned with pints, joyriding, drugs, fighting and other destructive behaviour. As a result, young men have become experts at camouflaging their problems, often until it's tragically too late.
I wanted to tell the real story. That behind the reckless behaviour and laddish exterior of a young man, lies a vulnerable, emotional human being who feels trapped in the pyscho-emotional cage that the culture in Ireland and many other parts of the world have built for young men.
I wrote this song after losing one of my oldest friends to suicide in late 2021. Losing him broke me and my whole group of friends, and I think I initially wrote this song to help us remember him and so that we never lose another one of us again.
I'm tired of it being the same tragic story, where it feels like guys fall off the face of these small towns like flies, when it doesn't have to be that way.
The song was written so that young men can feel seen and hopefully do something to normalise reaching out when you're struggling. You're a human being, not a machine. You can't hold the world on your own - turn on the light and talk to someone."
'Young Men' is out now and is available to purchase and stream through all major music purchasing and streaming outlets.
By Rachel Dempster