I first heard Passion Pit’s “Take A Walk” while I was sitting in study hall, my whole body numb from sitting in those stiff plastic chairs for too damn long, during my freshman year of high school.
I instantly fell in love with the group’s upbeat indie pop sound and frontman Michael Angelakos' soulful falsetto.
The song started my love for alternative and indie pop, and Passion Pit’s music has helped me through some really rough and not so great times.
But Passion Pit does so much more than just release some serious jams, which is why they hold such a special place in my heart. Angelakos is a fierce advocate for mental health and recently launched The Wishart Group, an organization focused on supporting artists by providing educational, legal, and healthcare services.
Angelakos has been a public advocate for ending the stigma surrounding mental health. He has been very open about his own struggles with Bipolar Disorder.
In 2012, Passion Pit canceled most of their tour dates in order for Micheal to receive treatment. He then appeared in a PSA for nonprofit organization Bring Change 2 Mind to discuss his experience with bipolar disorder. The PSA was part of Bring Change 2 Mind's campaign #StrongerThanStigma, which calls for men to become more comfortable with talking about mental health.
Angelakos also used his platform to discuss mental health awareness during a 2012 Pitchfork cover story, "I don't think people talk about mental illness a lot, but they need to know it’s OK to talk about how they are feeling. I wish more people would get help when they feel like they need it— not just to look to medicine, but to the support of others."
After the news of the launch of The Wishart Group broke, Passion Pit have (so far) released seven new songs on The Wishart Group YouTube page. Each song is listed with the hashtag #seaoflove.
It makes me incredibly happy that Angelakos is using his platform to advocate for such an important issue while releasing music that I blast in my car during this unseasonably warm weather. Here are the new releases:
1. Inner Dialogue
2. Somewhere Up There
3. I'm Perfect
4. Moonbeam
5. Hey K
6. You Have A Right
7. The Undertow
As a young person with my own personal struggles, I really appreciate Micheal and the other members of Passion Pit for using their talent to produce music that is honest about mental health. There have been numerous times when I have blasted "I'll Be Alright" on a bad day as a reminder that things will get better.
Through his music and his public advocacy, Micheal Angelakos is pushing the conversation of mental health open.
I am admirable of that and the ability his music has to always get me on my feet and singin'.
