Titus Andronicus Ponder the Ties That Bind Pain and Love on ‘Give Me Grief’

Titus Andronicus consider the inherent ties between pain and love, while still enjoying some rooftop rocking at sunset, in the new music video for “Give Me Grief.” The track will appear on the New Jersey band’s upcoming album, The Will to Live, out Sept. 30 via Merge. 

“Give Me Grief” is a swinging bit of sax-inflected power-pop/rock that finds frontman Patrick Stickles dueting with former Titus Andronicus drummer Eric Harm (who now fronts his own band, Eric Harm and the $100). The video was directed by regular collaborator Ray Concepcion, and features some clever choreographed routines as well as supporting cameos from bassist R.J. Gordon and saxophonist Ryan Weisheit. 

In a statement, Stickles spoke about the larger themes of The Will to Live — “an attempt on my part to reckon with the cruelest of life’s truths” — and the grief he grappled with during family medical emergencies and the sudden death of his cousin over the past few years. “These moments of agony could have been avoided had I simply closed myself off from the joys offered to me by those I love,” Stickles said. “But that is no way to live, and I force myself to move forward beckoning love in all its forms, however frightening a prospect. Grief is necessary, for without the threat of grief, there can be no love, and life without love is no life at all.”

Titus Andronicus first teased The Will to Live with “We’re Coming Back,” then properly announced the album with the first single, “(I’m) Screwed,” back in July. Along with Harm’s contributions on “Give Me Grief” and three other songs, The Will to Live will feature duets with Titus Andronicus guitarist Liam Betson and Partner’s Josée Caron; members of Arcade Fire, the Hold Steady, and the E Street Band also contributed to the album. 

The Will to Live follows Titus Andronicus’ 2019 album, An Obelisk. Stickles produced the album alongside Howard Bilerman, with the band recording at Bilerman’s Hotel2tango studio in Montreal. 

Titus Andronicus will kick off a North American tour in support of The Will to Live this fall. Following a set at the Frantic City Festival in Atlantic City on Sept. 24, the run will officially get underway Sept. 30 at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina. It’ll wrap Oct. 27 at the Crystal Ballroom in Boston.