Hailing from Knoxville Tennessee, Count Pariah have a 90s rock sound and a fanbase that’s as loyal as they come. Part of the reason for this is that the band make their music suitable for fans of all ages, and the rest is because they’ve got a bond with their fans that goes beyond music, that’s been built on their shared experience and trust.
Lead singer James “Shibby” Croft, guitarist Jason Breland, bass player Dustin Barousse, and Drummer Adam “BiRD” Tilley are fathers first and musicians second, but these family men had instant chemistry when they first came together. The origin of the band’s name probably goes part of the way to also explaining why their fans are ride-or-die:
“By definition, the count is of nobility. A pariah is a social outcast. We like to look at ourselves as the kings of the outcasts. That’s who we are. We don’t play by your rules. We don’t let big money and big music tell us what we can and can’t do. We do what we like because the passion is there. The passion is in the music.”
That passion is clearly evident in their single, ‘Paranoia’, the lead track from Count Pariah’s upcoming EP, ‘Hymns For Heathens’. Released via Blue Collar Records, the track reflects somewhat their feeling at navigating the uncharted waters of balancing their sound with the pressures of their everyday lives. While there is plenty of passion in their sound, there’s also a clear tension and unease, which is to be heard in the instrumentals, but there’s still an element of beauty amongst all the darkness and mystery of the track. Wholly relatable, ‘Paranoia’ examines that intense fear and angst we have all felt at certain parts of our lives.
The lyric video for ‘Paranoia’ is an animation which fits well to the track. Count Pariah are trapped in an asylum, and beyond that, they are prisoners of the voices in their own heads. Lyrics are bedaubed on the windows, symbolic of their emotions as they weigh them down. At some point they are handed the medicine which will heal what ails them; but in the shadows we see their instruments, and we know at once that it is music which will set them free.
You can find out more about Count Pariah on Instagram. Watch the video for ‘Paranoia’ below, and let us know what you think!
