Break Free from Devil Talking by David Myles

It's so often that the anthems we hear on the radio are about cut and dried sentiments—the party songs and the 'going it alone' tunes. But what about the real stuff of life, the big feelings that aren't so simple? Don't we all know what it feels like to need another person? And what it feels like to be totally unable to tell them that?

With its driving rhythms and rolling piano, David Myles' latest single, "Break Free"—from his forthcoming album Devil Talking—offers a new take on the anthem. It's something softer, more open and honest, diving into what it feels like to hide our most vulnerable selves from the people closest to us.

"It’s about how pride can lead us to hide our pain, fake strength we don’t have, and even lie to the ones we love most, and eventually lose them," Myles says. "It’s about what keeps us from getting close to one another, even when we know we need each other."

But Myles—and the song's rousing energy—insists that this dance needn't be cause for total despair. It's only human to feel tethered to each other, and the more we accept it, the easier we can embrace it. Over a toe-tapping beat, Myles admits to the lies he's told—about being afraid of losing his loved ones and missing his father—and slowly emancipates himself from our greatest deception: that we can go it alone. He seals things with a joyous flugelhorn solo and a dreamy, plaintive piano outro, leaving space for reflection.

Myles carves out his own sonic path with "Break Free," leaving behind the typical fare and pomp of the radio anthem for a subject more worthy of fist-pumping: the reality of how inextricably bound we are to each other, and how difficult—and liberating—it can be to understand that.

With two Junos and numerous other awards and accolades to his credit, David Myles’ relentless work ethic and musical sense of adventure have resulted in 15 albums that run the gamut—in English and French—through classic folk traditions, impassioned rock 'n' roll, earthy, existential blues, cosmic jazz and funk instrumentals, reflective Americana, and sweltering R&B.

davidmyles.com