BRIT-award-winning singer and songwriter Tom Odell’s new single Monster v.1 drops this week, complete with a video directed by George Somverville and Odell himself. The track is taken from Odell’s upcoming new album Monsters, his fourth studio LP which is due for release this summer. 

The track is a gentle piano affair, albeit one that is deeply personal to Odell. With lyrics that include “I close my eyes and count to three / You’re only there if i believe / And you’re just a monster / Just a monster and i’m not scared” all delivered in his distinctive powerful vocals, it documents a specific problem the star has struggled with away from music during his life, and the pain it has caused him. 

“I wrote this song about trying to overcome panic attacks,” Odell wrote in a post on his official Facebook page. “I wrote it at a time when I was struggling to leave the house without having one, and it weirdly really helped me. I hope maybe it might help anyone who suffers.”

In another post on his official Facebook page, Odell revealed more about the suffering he has endured as a result of his panic attacks. “I have been suffering from anxiety and panic attacks for years now.” he said. “I never liked speaking about it publicly, because I dunno, it felt indulgent when I knew so many people had things so much worse. But then i realised, if I think back to when I first started dealing with this stuff, maybe if I had known that lots of other people were going through the same thing, and it even had a name, well maybe it wouldn’t have been quite so bad as it was.

“Dealing with this stuff can be so lonely sometimes. So for that reason, I’m gonna start talking very straight with you all. I’m gonna talk as real as I can about anxiety and panic attacks, and everything in between, so that maybe, if any of you are dealing with this stuff too, you will know that you are not alone in this. None of us are. I am here dealing with it too.”

Watch the official video for Monster V.1 here. 

Find out more about Tom Odell and pre-order his upcoming new album Monsters on his official website. 

Author: Joe Sharratt

Joe Sharratt is a writer and journalist based in the UK covering music, literature, sport, and travel.