British musician Pete Beat has announced the release of his latest album, The Strange Museum including the focus track “Sweet Elan,” a soulful and thought-provoking song about losing out on love. Self-taught and self-produced, Pete has been steadily honing his writing, recording, and performance skills over the last 13 years, resulting in an impressive collection of 500 songs. He has previously released several singles and EPs, as well as three albums, and has gained support and airplay on BBC 6 Music.
The Strange Museum contains several tracks which describe Pete’s experience of being diagnosed with schizophrenia, from arriving at the hospital to the diagnosis itself. The album is a testament to the fact that, in many cases, it is possible to fully recover from mental illness, and Pete hopes that by sharing his story, he can help reduce the stigma surrounding schizophrenia. The album takes its name from the psychiatric hospital where Pete was detained in 2010, which he describes as a strange and otherworldly place. The album’s cover art is his attempt to render that feeling.
The song “Sweet Elan” is about a person who lost out to another suitor over the course of a lifetime, up until their deathbed and witnessing the unrequited love among those gathered there. As Pete says, it is hard to tell if this is a dream or not. The song was written by the artist roughly 8 years ago, and it was ultimately recorded to his satisfaction for this album.
A key theme in Pete’s music is the therapeutic benefits of creativity, and he credits music and songwriting with saving his life and helping him deal with the issues which led to his psychotic breakdowns.
“The name of the album The Strange Museum is a description of the psychiatric hospital I was detained in back in 2010. In my elevated state the whole place seemed magical and otherworldly, and the album cover art is my attempt at rendering that. The album contains several tracks (which weren’t singles) which describe this experience in more detail, from arriving at the hospital, to the buildup of the delusions I was suffering from, and the diagnosis of schizophrenia. Ultimately the album is a testament to the fact that you can in many cases fully recover from mental illness. I’d credit the creative process of writing and recording music as a very big factor in my recovery.” – Pete Beat
As a wink to his day job as an engineer, the album also features an Android/Windows game, allowing people to explore a world, talk to characters, and collect items which give parts to two songs from the album that can then be remixed. Pete Beat’s The Strange Museum is a unique and powerful album that showcases his musical and creative talents.
