Image: Mila Austin
Mike Rosenberg, better known as Passenger, has released his twelfth studio album Songs for the Drunk and Broken Hearted. The record follows up the musicians album Patchwork, which was written and recorded in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the lead up to the records release, Rosenberg released a trilogy of songs, all accompanied by visuals that worked cohesively to connect to one another. Each music video introduced listeners and viewers to different characters in his drunk and broken-hearted universe. Beginning with the albums title track, A Song for the Drunk and Broken Hearted which saw the singer and his bandmates dressed as clowns, playing to an audience of drunk and broken-hearted individuals. The following visuals Suzanne and Remember to Forget focused in on these individuals, with Suzanne turning the attention to an older woman sitting alone reflecting on days gone by, and Remember to Forget focusing on a man who has had one too many and refuses to call it a night.
The record was mostly written when the musician found himself suddenly single. “Coming out of a break-up creates such a fragile window,” he reflects. “You’re incredibly vulnerable for a few months. You’re so used to the safety of being with somebody and suddenly you’re out in the world on your own. And you get pissed and probably make some bad decisions. In some ways, you make it worse for yourself. But it’s a heady moment, losing love and being drunk. And it’s universal. Everyone goes through it at some stage.”
All physical packaging of CDs and vinyl of Songs for the Drunk and Broken Hearted have been made of 100% recycled material, with one tree will planted for every physical piece sold via the musicians offical webstore. This initiative is in partnership with Ecologi and the Eden Project.
Rosenberg was set to spend 2020 travelling the world busking and playing festivals and headline shows. Now postponed until 2021, the musician will host an intimate evening at London’s famed Royal Albert Hall for an exclusive performance film that will be broadcast on January 10, 2021 to celebrate the album’s release.
Songs for the Drunk and Broken Hearted is out now! Watch the music video for A Song for the Drunk and Broken Hearted below.