NEEDTOBREATHE aren’t interested in being people pleasers. On their new single, “Talk of the Town,” the multi-platinum selling band takes on the false images people hide behind and the artificial faultlessness society pressures people to manufacture.
The song is the first new music NEEDTOBREATHE have put out in 2022, and is also the first independent release of the band’s 21-year career. Posing as a balmy summer pop song, “Talk of the Town” disguises its critiques under springy percussion and tongue-in-cheek lyrics like, “Sooner or later, we all know plastic castles all fall down.” Foreshadowing the carefully contrived facades crumbling, the band makes it clear that the rat race for likes that everyone is running is more absurd than we could ever imagine.
NEEDTOBREATHE are releasing an accompanying music video, directed by Dylan Reyes, that further pokes fun at the self-obsessed state of society. Filmed in the streets of Nashville, the video’s characters don masks that serve as a bleak commentary on the carefully calculated perfection people project with the assistance of social media that makes everyone’s lives seem like a highlight reel.
“There is such an increasing pressure and gratification to contort our faces and bodies for a picture to share an altered moment or image with the world,” the band tell Paste. “The song is playfully asking what we’re hoping to gain by doing that, and is it really worth it?”
NEEDTOBREATHE will be joining OneRepublic this summer on the Never Ending Summer Tour. The 40-city stint will kick off on July 8 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and conclude in Jacksonville, Florida, on Sept. 4. Tickets can be purchased here.
Below, watch the Paste premiere of “Talk of the Town.” While you’re at it, you can also revisit their 2016 Paste Studio session further down, as well as the band’s upcoming tour dates.
NEEDTOBREATHE Tour Dates:
July
08 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
09 – Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park
10 – Charleston, SC @ Credit One Stadium
12 – Simpsonville, SC @ CCNB Amphitheater at Heritage Park
13 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
15 – Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
16 – Washington, DC @ Jiffy Lube Live
17 – Holmdel, NJ @ P.N.C. Bank Arts Center
19 – Boston, MA @ Xfinity Center
20 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
22 – Uncasville, CT @Mohegan Sun Arena
23 – Gilford, NH @ Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
24 – Camden, NJ @ Waterfront Music Pavilion (formerly BB&T Pavilion)
27 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
28 – Cleveland, OH @ Blossom Music Center
30 – Indianapolis, IN @ Ruoff Music Center
31 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
August
02 – Detroit, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre
03 – Chicago, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
05 – Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre
06 – St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
07 – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
09 – Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP
10 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
12 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
13 – Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
16 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum
17 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
19 – Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center
20 – San Diego, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
21 – Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion
23 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater
25 – Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater
26 – Dallas, TX @ The Dos Equis Pavilion
28 – Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
30 – Atlanta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
31 – Birmingham, AL @ Oak Mountain Amp
September
2 – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
3 – West Palm Beach, FL @ iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
4 – Jacksonville, FL @ Daily’s Place
