New Jersey alt-rock band Saint Slumber have released their new single entitled “it’s okay to be afraid,” in order to raise funds for COVID-19 relief. As the country began to slowly shut down in early March due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, no industry seemed to be impacted sooner, and more definitively, than the music industry. “I found myself returning home from tour only to nearly barricade myself indoors,” says Saint Slumber’s Joshua Perna. “It was super jarring. I went from flying across the country playing music to seeing every concert in the nation canceled in one fell swoop.”
Choosing to adopt self-isolation early on for the safety of at-risk family, Perna soon found himself locked in-doors with no end in sight, watching the country slowly join him in their respective homes. So, in this time of anxiety, Perna did the only thing he knew to: he wrote. “it’s okay to be afraid” came to me as I was struggling to sleep one night. Within 72 hours I had the song finished in its entirety and ready to release.” Saint Slumber’s other member, guitarist Aaron Brown, even remotely recorded his parts in order to maintain social distancing and so the track could be released quickly.
“it’s okay to be afraid” is an eerie, smooth alt-rock anthem that speaks of the uncertainty that the nation is currently feeling. The track’s relevance, however, does not begin and end with its subject matter: Saint Slumber plans on using it as a vehicle for relief. “We decided that we would use the proceeds from the track to give to those affected by COVID-19,” says Joshua Perna. “We chose MusicCares because it’s an incredible organization that supports musicians in need, and we chose the PHL COVID-19 Relief Fund in order to give back to the incredible city that’s given us so much as a band.”
Click HERE to stream and download “it’s okay to be afraid”