Daily Dose: Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes, “Paralyzed”

Daily Dose is your daily source for the song you absolutely, positively need to hear every day. Curated by the Paste Music Team.

The forthcoming EP from Nashville-based synth-rock band Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes is called Chapter One. Standing alone, it seems out of place, for the group already has two full-length albums and a companion EP to its long, but laden-with-person-meaning name. But, Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes just announced that they’ll be releasing their new album in three parts—Chapter One due Jan. 19, 2018, Chapter Two in spring 2018 and the full album called Fashion in fall 2018. Taken in context, then, Chapter One is the obvious place to start.

Read about the journey of the title Fashion from Paste’s chat with the band in 2014.

The band’s latest single, “Paralyzed,” starts off like an ‘80s stadium anthem. Frontman/keyboardist Daniel Ellsworth’s anti-gravity synths and drummer Joel Wren’s enormous-sounding percussion help build and inflate the track. But as soon as the chorus hits, “Paralyzed” becomes instantly, urgently current.

As Ellsworth describes, “The song itself is about shedding layers, getting older, and learning that the more we think we know the less we actually know. Opening your eyes to everything going on in the world and realizing how small we really are. It’s about how those feelings can often be overwhelming, but how it’s still our job as humans to pay attention and to make as positive of an impact as we can in our brief time on this planet.”

Check out the video, created with director Casey Pierce (and featuring footage from the recent solar eclipse!) below. Stay tuned for Chapter One, scheduled for release on Jan. 19, 2018.