Alt-Punk Artist Graham Caldwell Says Goodbye To Billy Moon With New Project Tearing Up; Shares Lead Single “Running” & Announces New EP

It’s time to say goodbye to Billy Moon – the brash, punk alter ego of Toronto-based artist Graham Caldwell.

“My name isn’t Billy, it’s Graham.”

Taking his rebranding one step further, Caldwell has announced his new musical project Tearing Up, and his upcoming EP Billy Is Dead, due on October 14th.

Graham Caldwell is a longstanding creative force whose previous musical endeavor, Billy Moon — aka Christopher Robin‘s nickname as accounted in A. A. Milne‘s Now We Are Six (or When We Were Very Young) — saw him release a number of acclaimed, multi-genre’d singles and eclectic full length LPs such as Punk Songs (2018). Over the years, he’s shared the stage with acts such as Nada Surf, Day Wave, Will Butler, Born Ruffians, July Talk, and Ty Segall, among others.

Turning a new page, Tearing Up resets his sights on being more introspective and cerebral, combining frustration with articulation and crashing hooks. “[I don’t] have the energy to dress up as anyone besides myself anymore”, he shares, as he finalizes the end of his previous self.

Explained Graham of the name choice: “Growing up, I loved punk bands that sneered in the face of authority, demanding their voice be heard. They made me feel like I was stronger than I was. I was the kind of person who avoided conflict since I’d lose every fight I’d end up in, but there’s still a part of me that itches to get its hands dirty, hence the name: Tearing Up.”

Alongside the news, Caldwell has shared his new lead single “Running” and its accompanying visuals. About the song he shares:

“’Running’ is a song that I wrote years ago and is finally seeing the light of day now. Sometimes, you just gotta be willing to embarrass yourself in the act of loving something, or yourself. When I first wrote it, I thought: ‘Man, did I just write a Christian rock song?‘ I grew up going to a couple Christian camps so all that stuff leaves a really sick taste in my mouth. Kind of like the first couple seconds of biting into a fruit, finding yourself wondering if it’s gone bad or not. The good news is: this time, it’s not. I just wanted to write some wholesome, earnest, cringe-as-fuck song about feeling joyful, powerful, and strong. It’s a good feeling, I like it. Put it on and go touch some grass.”

Bringing the song to life, Caldwell runs through the pitch black darkness of the fields; shirtless and free, while singing his uplifting and catchy fuzz-rock tune. As for the DIY spirit of the music video, he continues:

“My cousin is a really talented filmmaker and FVX artist so I told him I needed a hand in making a video. I used my own camera and rented a spotlight. I met up with my cousin, he called two of his friends who had no idea what we were doing, and we just went for it. We drove out to the country road where I grew up in the middle of the night and I ran for as long as I could. The crew was one person sitting on the back of my minivan with the tailgate open, another guy driving it, and the other holding the spotlight. My one friend who ran marathons saw it and immediately commented on how bad my form was. I’m not surprised since I do not run, I bike. I bike a lot, but when we shot this I realized that it had been a very, very, long time since I had actually run. Really felt it in the legs the next day.”

Check out the video below, and stay tuned for the release and upcoming tour dates:

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