"In the Dark" is a song by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon. Produced by the band's vocalist Oliver Sykes and keyboardist Jordan Fish, it is featured on the group's 2019 sixth studio album Amo. The track was released as the seventh and final single from the album on 21 October 2019.[1][2]
| "In the Dark" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Bring Me the Horizon | ||||
| from the album Amo | ||||
| Released | 21 October 2019 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:31 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
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| Bring Me the Horizon singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "In the Dark" on YouTube | ||||
Composition
edit"In the Dark" has been described by critics as pop rock,[3] electronic rock,[4] and electropop.[5] It was written by the band's lead vocalist Oliver Sykes, guitarist Lee Malia, bassist Matt Kean, drummer Matt Nicholls and keyboardist Jordan Fish. It was produced by Sykes and Fish. Speaking about the song to Kerrang!, Fish stated what the song was about:
"This is one of the more poppy ones. Or at least it’s not very heavy, or got rock guitars. It's from the perspective of someone who's found out their lover's been cheating. It's musically very different for us. We're so proud of it. We wanted to make sure it was positioned quite early in the record so it wouldn't get lost. And while it's poppy, it's still quite dark. We don't worry about what people might think of that. It's not a healthy mind-set to be in when you're trying to write music. We try not to let what people might expect from us affect us creatively, but at the same time we do still like heavy music. So it's a consideration. No-one wants to completely alienate their existing fans. I'm sure it'll take people a minute to get it, but I have so much confidence in the album in general that I know they'll come around."[6]
Promotion and release
editOn 18 October 2019, the band revealed a teaser on their social media accounts for a video that used music from "In the Dark" with the caption "r u ready?" This caused fans to believe that the band was about to release a music video for the single, which was announced to be released on 21 October 2019.[7]
Music video
editThe video for "In the Dark" was released on 21 October 2019 and was directed by frontman Oliver Sykes and Brian Cox.[8]
The music video stars and revolves around American actor Forest Whitaker.[9] Whitaker's daughter was a fan of the band and he and his daughter attended a gig together in 2017, the band met Whitaker and his daughter backstage after the concert. They kept in contact and wanted to do something together. It was revealed that Whitaker was initially pinned to play the protagonist in "Mantra" but had to pull out due to scheduling conflicts. Sykes revealed that Whitaker contacted him when they were about to shoot the video for "In the Dark" and everything then fell into place.[8]
Speaking about the concept of the video and his thoughts around it, Sykes told NME:
"I guess it's meant to be a representation of the grieving process. It's a visual metaphor for what the song is talking about. When it comes to the grieving process, we all try to ignore that feeling – but it's important to grieve. Even if something's happened for the best, you need to take that moment to feel something. Some people lose a whole world to grief sometimes, while others just don't grieve. Sometimes we're just too scared to face our emotions."[1]
Charts
edit| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[10] | 34 |
| UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[11] | 15 |
| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[12] | 48 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[13] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b Trendell, Andrew (21 October 2019). "'In The Dark': Here's Bring Me The Horizon's new video with Forest Whitaker and an interview with Oli Sykes". NME. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ Trapp, Philip (21 October 2019). "Watch Forest Whitaker 'Sing' Bring Me the Horizon in Band's New Video". Loudwire. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ Brown, Paul (19 January 2019). "Bring Me The Horizon – amo (Album Review)". Wall of Sound. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
'in the dark' brings us back to band land for a pop-rock mainstream tune with lots of cleans, keys and a stripped back guitar.
- ^ Trendell, Andrew (24 January 2019). "Bring Me The Horizon – 'amo' review". NME. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
'In The Dark' is a searing electro-rock anti-ballad detailing Sykes' discovery of the infidelity of his previous partner.
- ^ O'Connor, Roisin (25 January 2019). "Bring Me the Horizon's daring album will likely divide fans – review". The Independent. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
Electro-pop number "In the Dark" feels like a strong rebuke to frontman Oli Syke's ex, whom he divorced after learning she had an affair.
- ^ "Bring Me The Horizon Talk Us Through Every Track On Forthcoming Album amo". Kerrang!. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ Shoemaker, Whitney (21 October 2019). "Bring Me The Horizon debut cinematic "In The Dark" music video". Alternative Press. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ a b Chapstick, Kelsey (21 October 2019). "SEE FOREST WHITAKER STAR IN BRING ME THE HORIZON'S NEW "IN THE DARK" VIDEO". Revolver. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ "Go Behind The Scenes On Bring Me The Horizon's in the dark Video". Kerrang!. 1 November 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 4 February 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ "Bring Me the Horizon Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Bring Me the Horizon – In the Dark" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 7 March 2023.