In support of Autism Awareness Month, Bradley Wik (who has Asperger’s) has just released his first solo EP entitled music for depressed alcoholic autistic people. Bradley wanted to talk openly and honestly about his own struggles with depression, alcohol and… well, the title sums it up pretty damn well.

He also wanted to make a record that could reach out to those who are currently in need. Sometimes all he wanted was to know he was not alone in the world. So, this record is for all those who have struggled, or are currently struggling with depression, drug and/or alcohol abuse, or are trying to understand their own Asperger’s/Autism. Know you are not alone. These 4 songs are proof of that, and hopefully can help in some small way.

Click to download hi-res album cover

Click to download hi-res album cover

Featured Tracks:

1. i started killing myself years ago…

3. we are not alone

Album Embed Code (Bandcamp):

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About the album:

After two full-length albums with his band the Charlatans (both of which have garnered significant radio play in the U.S. and abroad), Bradley Wik has just released this incredibly personal and revealing 4 song EP entitled music for depressed alcoholic autistic people. This record trades in the guitar solos and epic rock n’ roll tales typical of a Bradley Wik record for acoustic guitars, synths, and daringly honest and plaintive songs about Bradley’s years of depression, drug/alcohol abuse, and his failure to understand his own Asperger’s (also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder). With songs like “i started killing myself years ago…” and “what are we supposed to do now that we’ve wasted our youth?,” Bradley examines the lost years of his youth through the lens of time and a further understanding of how his Asperger’s has affected his life, his decisions and his relationships with others. This record has helped Bradley to process these events and emotions, something he has struggled with due to the Asperger’s.

The record starts with a sparse, acoustic guitars and vocals-only track (“i started killing myself years ago…) before the driving bass and synths enter (on “the promise (please don’t die tonight)” and “we are not alone”), and then finishes with a somber, reflective song set against a cacophony of melodic and lilting noise (“what are we supposed to do now that we’ve wasted our youth?”). music for depressed alcoholic autistic people is sometimes beautiful, full of melody and energy, and sometimes (intentionally) hard to listen to, both lyrically and literally. It’s also the most Bradley Wik thing Bradley has ever made…

About Bradley Wik:

  • Currently resides in: Charlotte, NC

  • Born and raised in: a small town in rural Wisconsin, population 3000

  • Still doesn’t really understand: his Asperger’s and depression, what any of the Beatles’ songs post-“Rubber Soul” are about (Asperger’s doesn’t like vague imagery and metaphors…), and why people like “The Lord of the Rings” (again, probably the Asperger’s)

  • Favorite drink: bourbon neat, preferably Blanton’s or Elijah Craig

  • What can be found in his glass most nights due to the budgetary constraints of being a working musician: Evan Williams Bonded

  • Number of cats he lives with: 1, her name is Lovey (don’t ask what type, he doesn’t know. She has long, white hair, blue eyes and loves to snuggle)

  • Favorite TV shows with secretly (or not so secretly) Autistic characters: Seinfeld, Rick and Morty, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Arrested Development, BoJack Horseman

  • Favorite albums from 1975/all-time, in order: “Born to Run” - Bruce Springsteen, “Blood on the Tracks” - Bob Dylan, “Tonight’s the Night” - Neil Young

  • Favorite non-1975 album: “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” - Kanye West

  • Singer he wishes he could be more like, a.k.a. his favorite singer: Otis Redding

  • Favorite WWE wrestler of all-time: Stone Cold Steve Austin

  • Favorite headphones: Sony MDR-7506’s

  • Least favorite food: pizza that tries to be healthy and anything with kale

  • Random skills: great at making burgers and meatballs, and always on time (thanks Asperger’s!)

To read more about Bradley and his journey to understand his Asperger’s, CLICK HERE

Still more about music for depressed alcoholic autistic people:

why is the album called “music for depressed alcoholic autistic people?”

here’s the simple answer: that’s what i am and these are the types of songs i’ve needed over the years but couldn’t find.

here’s the complicated answer (my wife likes to constantly tell me how much i tend to complicate things, and she’s right…): i’ve spent years trying to understand myself and my emotions. that’s not something people with asperger’s do well. i could understand other people much more easily. not their emotions and feelings, but their stories, their shortcomings, their strengths, their humanness. i could learn about what made them tick and why they did the things they did. i became an astute observer of human beings. i started to realize the reason i did this was because i wanted to be able to figure myself out, which i couldn’t. i didn’t seem to act and think linearly like the people i watched. why was i always the one that didn’t do what he was supposed to in a given circumstance? why did i struggle to react to things the way others do? why did i always seem to say or do the wrong thing given the situation? why couldn’t i just be more “normal?” i wanted answers but found none.

once i became a musician, i saw this reflected in my songwriting. for most of my songwriting career, i wrote songs about other people. i watched the world around me and recorded the stories of people who passed through my life. sure, i was a part of many of the stories and always put a little of myself into them so i could tell the story better, but i was mostly telling my stories through other people. some of it was because i was young and i hadn’t experienced a lot yet, but mostly it was because it was easier for me to do it that way. i did write some pretty straightforward autobiographical songs but most of my songs had little (if anything) to do with me. they’re mostly observations and recollections, usually of women i know or once knew. 

with this record, i didn’t want to write about others. i wanted to write things that were intensely personal and write about them as simply and honestly as possible (these songs have the least amount of lyrics of anything i’ve ever written. one song is literally just two lines). i wanted to focus on some of the darkest moments in my life and try to write for that person. what did that version of myself need from a song? what could he have heard that might make him feel more connected to the world and less alone in his depression? what thoughts could he have understood better if he had heard them articulated and set to music (his preferred way of understanding himself)?

that’s what “music for depressed alcoholic autistic people” is. it’s me telling myself it’s ok to have these dark thoughts. it’s me telling myself that what i’m feeling is not singular to me. it’s me telling myself (literally in one song) that i am not alone in the world, other people understand what i’m going through; which somehow makes it a little easier. it’s me explaining these feelings and thoughts to myself in a way that allows me to understand them better. and by doing that, it’s me telling others the same. if i needed to hear these things, i know others need to as well. i’m not saying that to sound arrogant, but to imply that i realize i’m not some unique snowflake. i’m not the only one who has been depressed for long periods of time. i’m not the only one who thinks about death on a regular basis. i’m not the only one who dies in almost all their dreams. i’m not the only one who has done things they’re ashamed to talk about. i’m not the only one people called the police on because they were worried they might kill themselves. i am not alone. you are not alone. we are not alone…

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