ALEX LIFESON's ENVY OF NONE Project Releases Animated Video For 'That Was Then'

ENVY OF NONE, the new band from Alex Lifeson (RUSH),Andy Curran (CONEY HATCH),Alfio Annibalini and singer Maiah Wynne, has just released a new EP, "That Was Then, This Is Now", on June 9 via Kscope.

The all-star lineup continues its exponential growth of its trippy, edgy atmospheric sound that took the world by surprise. The new EP is made up of very adventurous tracks that consist of remixes of "Dumkoptf" and "Dog's Life" alongside "Lethe River" and "You'll Be Sorry", only previously released on the deluxe edition of their debut record.

Following these, the EP culminates with a newly recorded track "That Was Then". The song undulates with progressive dexterity and is a perfect example of the unbound writing ability this incredible band showcase.

All tracks were written, arranged, recorded and produced by ENVY OF NONE.

In celebration of the EP release, ENVY OF NONE has revealed a beautiful and striking new video for "That Was Then" created by Olivier Boscovitch, who has previously worked with David Guetta. The artist was handpicked by Curran to create a video that was inspired by Wynne's lyrics representing both a metaphorical and literal chase. It recalls the idea of retro pop art genius Roy Lichtenstein seen through the lens of a psychedelic graphic novel in the beautiful clip's vibrant and stylistic imagery.

Curran comments: "The video was created by the super-talented Olivier Boscovitch. I discovered some of his work online and reached out to him and he loved the song 'That Was Then'. He was inspired by the dark and haunting lyrics that Maiah wrote for the song. He pitched the concept of a girl riding a chopper and travelling through a fictional trippy landscape, basically her life, while being chased by a bad assed villain in a muscle car. The driver of the car represents the person in our lives that we're getting away from. Olivier's amazing graphics are a testament to his unique creativity. We're very lucky to be working with him."

He continues: "I'm super proud of the new song. Ty Dennis played a killer drum track that breathed new life into the song and we're very grateful that Alex reached out to him. I think the track itself shows a real growth for ENVY OF NONE. It's like we've hit out stride creatively and a nice marker to punctuate that our first record was not a one-and-done thing. It really opened the floodgates for us writing wise and we-re well on our way to a second record."

"That Was Then, This Is Now" remains in canon with the band’s sound of their eponymous debut whilst also pushing the boundaries and is a fantastic prologue to the next chapter of ENVY OF NONE's story as the band have been in the studio creating new music and remixes.

"That Was Then, This Is Now" track listing:

01. Lethe River
02. You’ll Be Sorry
03. Dog’s Life (Remix)
04. Dumb (Der Dummkopf Remix)
05. That Was Then

Lifeson is no stranger to the concept of evolution. As a founding member of RUSH, he's been able to explore more musical ground than just about any other guitar player out there — taking rock to new progressive heights throughout the decades and always in the most wildly inventive of ways. His influence can be heard on countless bands around the world, from indie shoegaze and math rock to heavy metal and beyond. Over the last few years, Lifeson has been focusing on a new project that, no matter how well-acquainted you are with his discography, will undoubtedly shatter all seeds of expectation and blow the mind. That project is ENVY OF NONE.

"Envy Of None"'s 11 tracks — which ricochet between various shades of alternative, experimental and synth rock — throw surprises at every turn, twisting dark melodies against contemporary pop hooks. Lifeson himself is proudly aware of how little of it crosses over with the band that made him famous.

However, it was only when Wynne became involved that this truly started to feel like a band destined to go somewhere. Her haunting melodies and soul-baring intensity is — by the admission of her own bandmates — what truly brought this music to life. All things considered; she is a star in the making.

"Maiah became my muse," said Lifeson. "She was able to bring this whole new ethereal thing through her sense of melody on tracks like 'Liar' and 'Look Inside'. After hearing her vocals on 'Never Said I Love You', I felt so excited. I've never had that kind of inspiration working with another musician. When we say she's special, it's because she's really fucking special."

The album closer, "Western Sunset", was penned by Lifeson in tribute to his dear friend Neil Peart. It's a highly emotive piece of music to honor a man deeply missed by the rock community at large, and even more so by those who were lucky enough to know him.

"I visited Neil when he was ill," says Lifeson. "I was on his balcony watching the sunset and found inspiration. There's a finality about a sunset that kinda stayed with me throughout the whole process. It had meaning. It was the perfect mood to decompress after all these different textures… a nice way to close the book."

ENVY OF NONE is:

* Alf Annibalini - Guitar, Keyboards, Programming
* Andy Curran - Bass Guitar, Synthesized Bass, Programming, Guitar, Background Vocals, Stylophone
* Alex Lifeson - Guitar, Mandola, Banjo, Programming
* Maiah Wynne - Lead Vocals, Background Vocals, Keyboards

Photo by Richard Sibbald