Chosen by Monk

This punk rock maverick troubadour may claim that #LoveDontLiveHereAnymore but we’ve got plenty of said emotion to share with this fourth single from, and closing track on, his latest EP:

Speaking about the song, Smith told us:

‘Love Don’t Live Here Anymore’ isn’t the end of the line… it’s just the end of a chapter. It’s about watching the lights go out on everything you built, every wild night, every bad habit, every ghost that used to mean something. It’s the sound of acceptance and defiance in the same breath… when you finally stop chasing what’s already gone and start getting ready for whatever comes next.

Tuk Smith is the kind of rock ’n’ roll ambassador you didn’t think existed anymore. Originally from rural Georgia, the Biters frontman, producer and solo artist has seen the best and worst of a music industry in constant flux. By turns it’s left him critically acclaimed, poised for stadiums, dropped, burned out, back in the game and beloved by those for whom rock is still everything. Now based in Nashville, and with his own label Gypsy Rose Records, he creates from a more real place than most.

I want to do something that means something to people, because a lot of shit nowadays is so disposable and so plastic. I just don’t connect with that. I’d like to do things that impact people positively. It’s a weird time on the planet, so to have songs about hope, but not be cheesy about it, it’s something I think we need with songwriting. That’s the kind of music I want to hear.

Again, there’s that dichotomy he speaks of.

Rock ’n’ roll is essentially the illusion of not giving a fuck, right? Like, you know Axl Rose was doing sit-ups and jump rope, and Paul Stanley was on a cardio machine, and they come out and act like it just happens. The point is I sit at that piano many hours, working on this stuff.