“If we can help one person, then we know that what we are doing is making an impact, and that’s always been what we wanted to do with our music,” says Of Virtue vocalist Tyler Ennis.
It’s a somewhat busy afternoon for Ennis and Of Virtue guitarist/co-vocalist Damon Tate, with Ennis in the middle of updating Zoom for the band’s call with Melodic Magazine and Tate driving in his car around Michigan while on the phone. But nevertheless, the two found time to discuss the band’s latest singles and an upcoming record.
“It’s a really good feeling being able to release a song that has such a powerful meaning and an impact,” Ennis says of “What’s It Like to Be Happy?” “That is something that our band has kind of always been about, especially back in 2019 when we released What Defines You. We had a song in there called ‘Torn Apart,’ and that was along the same lines.”
“What’s It Like to Be Happy?” comes at a relevant time, as mental health and self-care have become more of a topic of conversation since the COVID-19 pandemic. “We wanted to kind of start that conversation of what happiness means to you, because I feel like if we start talking about those things more—self-care and mental health—it becomes more normalized,” Ennis mentions. “There’s not a stigma around it. There’s nothing wrong with talking about your feelings. There’s nothing wrong with going through things. Even if you feel alone, you’re never alone.”
“There’s nothing wrong with talking about your feelings. There’s nothing wrong with going through things. Even if you feel alone, you’re never alone.”
Over the years, Of Virtue has become known as a band that is unexpected, ever-changing, and full of pure emotion. The Michigan-based group, which also consists of members Michael Valadez (guitar) and Ryan Trinh (drums), have performed in over 30 countries, across three continents, and reach an audience of 372K monthly listeners on Spotify alone. Their music is melodic, heavy, and irresistibly catchy, making them an engaging act no matter where they go or who listens.
“I feel like there’s a natural shift,” explains Tate. “When you listen to the older records, you kind of look at them as a little footnote of, ‘Oh this was how I was feeling at the time.’ Sometimes you can actually notice themes where I might be talking about some of the same things, but now they’re gonna relate a bit differently.”
There’s comfort in music that embraces difficult truths and bands that serve as a voice for someone who might have trouble finding their own. This notion is at the center of Of Virtue’s work, with Tate explaining, “It’s relevant to be as vulnerable as you possibly can so you can help people like your former selves or people that haven’t been as fortunate to know, see, or hear words that can speak for them if they aren’t strong enough in those moments to speak for themselves.”
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