12 November 2021 - 0 Comments

Auckland-based music collective, The Human Kind, have today released their second single and video for the year, Walk To The River.

Listen to Walk To The River here

Watch the video for Walk To The River here

A continuation of their initiative to support organisations promoting mental health in Aotearoa, the track is hypnotic, velvety and filled with gritty guitars and smooth vocals, Walk to the River is a metaphor for life.

“As humans we can experience low times in our lives, things can feel rough and turbulent. Instead of fighting the current, being able to remind ourselves that like the awa, the river, life is always moving, constantly changing and that these low times will pass,” says Debbie Toko-Stevens, songwriter and lyricist for the group.

The smooth vocals for the track are supplied by Debbie Toko-Stevens, embraced by the soulful harmonies of Chrissy Diamond and Jason Slade. With its electro synths, and fluid, feel-good bass of Mitch French, Walk to the River keeps swimming in the mind long after listening.

Recorded at Melodic Juice Studios and produced by the group’s producer, Frank Marinthe, the trackinfuses his love of symphonic harmonies, and draws from his background collaborating with Nicolas Godin (from the band AIR), as well as composing for film and TV in France and Aotearoa.

The video for Walk To The River was created by Frank Marinthe and “is a choreographic interpretation of being tossed and turned by the river of life. It's about being lucid in a changing environment and links to the notions of fluidity and the human resilience found in being able to adapt and change,” says Diamond.

Walk To The River is the second release from The Human Kind in 2021, following on from their debut single, Ready To Live which was released in line with Mental Health Awareness Week.

Alongside the release the group have created a video that highlights the vital work of mental health organisation Lifeline which is also live now on their social media accounts.

Watch here

The Human Kind have gained strength through their own mental health challenges and are now turning pain into purpose through a shared creative vision and the collective belief in the holistic principles of Kotahitanga and Whanaungatanga, the interconnectedness of all things without discrimination.

Made up of professional singers, musicians, photographers, designers and sound technicians from various cultures and gender identities, The Human Kind combines live music, songs and images in audio-visual events that express the spectrum of human emotions.

See The Human Kind Solacium show at their new revised dates for 2022

Pah Homestead, Auckland,7pm Thursday March 3 - tickets $25

Lopdell Theatre, 7pm Friday March 4 - tickets $25

Auckland Art Gallery (Mental Health Foundations Pink Shirt Day promoting anti-bullying)6.30pm Friday May 20 - Free Entry

And Art Gallery 1pm Saturday 21 May - Free Entry

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