Billy Morrison has unveiled “Drowning,” the first single from his upcoming album, The Morrison Project, with the exclusive premiere of the track and music video right here at Heavy Consequence (watch below).
For nearly 15 years, Morrison has been the rhythm guitarist in Billy Idol’s band, following a brief stint as the bassist for The Cult. He also plays in the all-star covers band Royal Machines, and can be heard on Sirius XM’s Ozzy’s Boneyard channel, where he co-hosts Ozzy Speaks with Ozzy Osbourne himself, among other programs.
As previously reported, The Morrison Project features a bevy of notable guests, including Ozzy, Idol, Al Jourgensen (Ministry), Corey Taylor (Slipknot), guitarist John 5 (Mötley Crüe), drummer Tommy Clufetos (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath), rapper Darryl “DMC” McDaniels (Run-DMC), singer Linda Perry (4 Non Blondes), and guitarist Steve Stevens (Billy Idol).
“Drowning” is the leadoff track on the album, and doesn’t feature any special guests. It was written by the album’s core songwriting team of Morrison, Jeordie White, and Erik Eldenius. The hard-rocking tune is powered by a heavy guitar riff and Morrison’s punk-ish vocal delivery.
“I reached a point two or three years ago where the information flow was so constant, so extreme and so polarizing to me that I couldn’t take it all in,” says Morrison of the single. “Too much news, too many pundits and opinionated idiots. I felt like I was drowning in negativity. My previous solution was to numb out, get loaded, feel nothing, so this time I wrote the song as a cathartic way of dealing with what I was feeling at the time. That’s why the video is gritty, fast paced and hectic. It’s an attempt to illustrate what my head felt like at the time.”
Regarding the song’s music video, Morrison adds, “I drove everyone crazy with this video. First thing I said was ‘we need underwater videography because I’m going to fall into a deep swimming pool with 20 lbs of weights attached. So I sink like a stone. I want you to film it! Once I had them on board with that, I threw in ‘oh, and we need to rent three huge cockroaches which are going to crawl all over my face’ — I’m sure they all think I’m crazy, but that sense of unease in the video captures the essence of the song. Information overload. We all feel it!”
The Morrison Project arrives April 19th, with pre-orders available here. Watch the video for “Drowning” below.
“Drowning” Artwork:
