Behind The Tracks: Chalk Hands - Pauvre de Moi (Single) (2026)

Antoine: “Pauvre de Moi” is one of two songs in French on this album. The reason for that is that I’m originally from the French-speaking part of Belgium, and growing up there, I always felt a strong connection to the French screamo scene. Bands like Daïtro, Mihai Edrisch, Aussitôt Mort, and Amanda Woodward were hugely important to me, and I really wanted to reflect that influence on this record. Our previous album only had one song in French, so with this new one being longer (over 44 minutes), this felt like a natural step further.

The literal meaning of “pauvre de moi” is “poor me”. It’s an expression that’s often used in an exaggerated, almost overly dramatic or comical way, which felt perfect for the song, as it’s essentially a reflection on self-pity. One of the great things about getting older is that you start to recognise the cycles you fall into and, hopefully, learn how to deal with them better.

I’ve lived with anxiety and battled depressive states my whole life, and when I’d go through phases like that, I would always think “here I am again” and feel sorry for myself. This, in turn, created the impression that it was an integral part of who I was, and I think part of me began to idealise it, romanticising it as almost a part of my personality.

I’ve now reached a point in my life where I want to stop that completely because, to put it plainly, it’s entirely counterproductive and a pattern I’m constantly trying to unlearn. It’s not a fight I always win, but I think the process has given me more control and more empathy for myself and for others, and has actually made me less self-centred.

Tommy (the other guitarist and singer) and I share the songwriting, and this one was written by Tommy, and I wrote the lyrics. I remember a moment a couple of years ago when we were writing the album and decided to go on a writing retreat together and rented a cabin near Winchester, where we recorded the first demo version of this song. Even at that early stage, we all felt like it was going to be a single. I also remember our drummer, Gary, coming up with this really intense, snare-driven beat on the spot, and how excited we all were. It was just a really cool moment to share together.

The music video was a lot of fun to shoot as well. We worked with our friend Doug Elliott, a super-talented videographer who also did the video for “Fail, Grasp, Restore” from our previous album. We used lights, bendy mirrors, and different lenses and filters, with no post-production visual effects at all. Everything was done in camera, and we shot the whole video together in a single afternoon.

There are two more singles to come before the album is released on March 27th, and pre-orders are now open via Dog Knights Productions (https://dogknightsproductions.com/). You can get a copy (vinyl/tape/CD) from wherever you are in the world.

Thank you so much for listening!