Following the release of the powerful debut LP ‘It’s Hard to Be Happy When Your Head is Full of Sin’ by acclaimed poet Equinox, he has unveiled the new video for ‘Mule’. With music written and composed by Southern New England pastoral-punk/experimental-trash artist Nat Lyon, the accompanying video was created by Welsh musician/artist Ash Cooke (a.k.a. Chow Mwng).

“Mule was written one New Year’s Eve, when I found myself alone in the house with a nothing but a Kylie Minogue live concert on TV to accompany me,” explains Equinox.  It details the loneliness and the despair of being alone, slightly drunk, and wanting more but inevitably sliding further into the bottomless pit of depression once again.  Feeling as though I was useless and inept, I used the metaphor of being a mule, stubborn in my isolation as the next year dragged closer”.

This powerful debut album features a remarkable range of artists, each of whom were invited to freely interpret his work and contribute music to surrounding his poems. The result is a genre-spanning release, from electro to funk, post-punk and cinematic electronica, all of which feature Equinox’s compelling Mancunian voice.

The list of collaborators is interesting, with legends such as Vince Clarke (Erasure, Depeche Mode, Yazoo) and hot current acts such as Deux Furieuses and Feral Five, as well as other top-notch artists from the independent scene, including Ceiling Demons, Rosie Bans, Snippet and Superhand.

The lead single ‘Kiss’ featuring Feral Five now has enjoyed a solid stream of airplay over the past month, having been chosen by Gideon Coe of BBC 6 Music as recommended track of the week with subsequent support from BBC hosts Steve Lamacq, Tom Ravenscroft, Shaun Keaveny, and Radcliffe & Maconie.

In all, fourteen artists, apart from Equinox, are involved in this album. “The whole process took around eight months to complete and it was a constant feeling of surprise and delight to hear how the artists deciphered my work and pieced around their own arrangements,” explains Equinox.

The poetry of Equinox takes no prisoners, with subject matter ranging from male suicide to prostitution, but with equal amounts of undying love and devotion. Equinox isn’t just about poems, but instead stands to break down some misconceptions about the spoken word genre. The often hard-hitting deadpan will continue to be a source of interest.