(SANTA CRUZ, CA) --- Progressive Pop-Rock Band Watch Me Breathe has released the official lyric video for their new single, "Cruel Machine," available NOW via The Label Group / INgrooves.

"This song is about capitalism. The inspiration came from the many experiences I (and most of us) have had encountering miserable, tired, old employees at grocery stores, gas stations, etc. Lifelong hourly-wage work is the story of millions and millions of people all over this country, and it's hard not to feel like they are victims of a cruel machine they were forced to be a cog in," explained Jake Aaron Ward.

Watch Me Breathe is Ward's musical quest to answer his most burning questions and find meaning in a modern world that is often starved for it. Incorporating both musical styles and teachings from all over the world, Ward is an avid student of world history and culture. The music is the product of a relentless search for what lies at the very heart of the human experience.

With a unique blend of engaging rhythms, melancholy chords, and boyish tenor vocals, Watch Me Breathe will immediately register with any of us who went through an “emo” phase in years past. However, where one might normally find distorted guitars and lyrics about heartbreak and self-loathing, one instead finds African percussion samples, instruments from multiple continents, and lyrical references to things like Rumi poetry or Chomsky’s criticisms of capitalism. At once both intellectual and emotional, this band provides the soundtrack for seekers, deep thinkers, and adventurers everywhere.

Since their debut in early 2018, the band has racked up close to 200k plays on Spotify and recruited more than 4k followers. As their audience grows, the band has their sights on touring in 2020 and seeking bigger and better platforms to spread their message from.

Ward writes, plays, records and produces all of the music entirely by himself in his home studio. Bassist Ryan Green and drummer/baby brother Carl Ward step in for live performances and the occasional photo shoot or interview. The band has released two full-length albums to date (The Lighter Side Of Darkness in 2018, and The Strange Pull Of What You Really Love in 2019) and is set to release a third full-length sometime in 2020.

Photo by Natalie Sweeting - Through the Bird's Eye Photography