Ivan & Alyosha’s anthemic folk rock song “Everybody Breaks” finds its cinematic home in a Ben Phillippo-directed music video that highlights the fragility, vulnerability, and breakdown of the human psyche.
Stream: “Everybody Breaks” – Ivan & Alyosha
There’s a point in Ivan & Alyosha’s new music video where the audience can watch the human psyche bend and break in real time: Weary and worn-down, a struggling convience store owner (portrayed by Paul Melendy) finally snaps when he quietly catches a young man trying to steal from him. Locking the front door and gently cranking up the volume on his stereo, the man lurches toward his would-be thief, a savage smile adorning his face as he makes clear the ramifications for this attempted robbery. His body jolting forward in a rush of pent-up energy, Melendy’s character clearly depicts the cracks in our beings.
Set to Ivan & Alyosha’s anthemic folk rock soundtrack, the “Everybody Breaks” music video portrays a story of desperation and breakdown familiar to all of us; it pushes life to its limits, and in turn challenges us to understand, and perhaps even empathize, with a man’s troubled, last-ditch effort to salvage his life.
I’ve been looking for the water,
looking for the sea,
searching for my trouble but
my trouble finds me
Everybody breaks,
everybody breaks,
everybody breaks sometimes
I’ve been looking at the answer
don’t help me find
the cure to my cancer cause I
been there before
Everybody breaks,
everybody breaks,
everybody breaks sometimes
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the Ben Phillippo-directed music video to “Everybody Breaks,” the opening track off Ivan & Alyosha’s recently-released EP of the same name (out October 4, 2019 via Nettwerk Music Group). A Seattle-based five-piece band consisting of Tim Wilson, Pete Wilson, Ryan Carbary, Tim Kim, and Cole Mauro, Ivan & Alyosha formed over a decade ago and quickly established themselves as local ones-to-watch through their engaging, definitively West Coastal folk/rock sound. 2009’s The Verse, The Chorus EP was followed by 2011’s Fathers Be Kind EP; the band’s debut album All the Times We Had released on Dualtone Records in 2013, and sophomore album It’s All Just Pretend arrived in 2015.
The single release of “Everybody Breaks” earlier this year arrived after nearly three years of radio silence from the band, during which time the five-piece took a “slight break” for family and creativity’s respective sakes. “With that time and freedom came perspective and inspiration,” according to their press release. When they finally regrouped, they did so with newfound excitement and passion: There was a feeling that they could toss the old rulebook out, and make new songs unencumbered by any past ideas or expectations.
Though many would already consider this song old by industry standards, “Everybody Breaks” is a definitive fresh start for Ivan & Alyosha.
A smart, fervent folk rock jam, it serves to remind us “that we are all on an even playing field,” per the band. “At the end of the day,” they explain, “we break sometimes, and that’s ok. The big question is, what do you do when things fall apart?”
Phillippo’s music video perfectly encapsulates the ethos of Ivan & Alyosha’s song. “Something that was so appealing to me about ‘Everybody Breaks’ is this message that we all have moments where we want to flip the table and start the game over,” the award-winning writer and director explains. “No one is immune, though some people might pretend to be. A story about an uptight authority figure losing control seemed like the perfect fit. Our lead actor Paul Melendy hilariously captured this character — a desperate store owner one shoplifter away from a nervous breakdown. When this man finally lets go, I love that we were able to show a progression, veering from absurdity to triumph, then finally arriving at a more complicated emotional aftermath.”
“We were pretty excited with how the video turned out,” Ivan & Alyosha say, for their part. “It embodies the song perfectly. Light-hearted rock and roll brushing over a very serious subject of pain. It’s also the first videos of ours that we haven’t been in, so it felt like we were being told the story for the first time.”
Light-hearted rock and roll brushing over a very serious subject of pain.
Who’s gonna bend now
and who’s gonna break,
who’s got the map to tell me
what’s at stake
I’ve been walking elementary,
trying to find the people
that sent me to the end of my rope.
Everybody breaks,
everybody breaks,
everybody breaks sometimes
Through its refreshing dynamicism and undeterred folk rock swagger, “Everybody Breaks” unveils the fragility of the human spirit without missing a beat. Ivan & Alyosha’s new music video is fun, provocative, and above all, engaging: A thrilling introduction for new listeners, and a welcome visual for longtime fans.
“Everybody Breaks” is the first part in a multi-video story; it will be followed by a forthcoming video for the band’s song “Hit the Floor.” For now, watch “Everybody Breaks” exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and stream the new Everybody Breaks EP out now wherever you listen to music!
:: stream/purchase Everybody Breaks EP here ::
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? © Joe Day
Everybody Breaks
an EP by Ivan & Alyosha
