Yorkshire alt-rock sextet Beauty School joined forces with Rae Brazill of Artio for their vibrant new single “Day of Iva” released via Slam Dunk Records.
“Day of Iva” is a high-energy pop-punk track that was inspired by an adventurous getaway taken by guitarist and songwriter Dan Shaw. Further elaborating on the song’s inspiration, Shaw shares,
“Day of Iva was written whilst on holiday in Croatia in 2024 I was hoping this might improve my mental health as being away from the stresses of UK life might give a reprieve. Whilst away my wife and I had a conversation about my depression and how, yes I was getting better but I still wasn’t in the place I wanted to be, highlighted by the line ‘When I’m in the sunshine, my days ache and I’m still no wiser.’ I wanted to write something fun at its core as this is a song about being away and having adventures driving round Croatian countryside.”
Beauty School unravels the complex nature of mental health and tells the story of how healing is not always linear. “Day of Iva” explores how vacations and holidays are a temporary fix for something that runs much deeper. It’s a fun, energetic track that is perfect for anyone looking for a relatable summer anthem.
“Day of Iva” beautifully blends Beauty School frontman Joe Carbera and Brazill’s vocals in an exciting way. Speaking on the collaboration, Shaw expressed,
“I really wanted to hit home the conversive tones of the song by having lots of call and response throughout. It made complete sense to get Rae from Artio to feature on this tune as their voice fits perfectly alongside Joe’s to create a really unique duet. My favourite line is when Rae and Joe both sing “Don’t want to be remembered, for nothing at all” harkening back to the conversation Judy and I had about writer’s block and how it impacted my mental health as I just wanted to write over everything else.”
Beauty School and Artio offer an energetic, yet introspective summer track with “Day of Iva.” It’s a great testament of allowing yourself to have fun even in the worst moments as you heal. Finding the beauty in the world around you and taking advantage of that is what this track is all about. Beauty School will be hitting the road in October supporting Mouth Culture for a short UK run. Tickets and information for these shows can be found here.
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