Austin-based singer-songwriter and mixing engineer Bryon Harris releases a powerful statement with his latest single “Tears Me Up.” With its warm vocals and restrained arrangement, this indie-rock and soul fusion subverts your expectations only to deliver an ethical jolt with its subtext: you don’t hear animal suffering until the moment you can’t look away.
Tears Me Up was released through Artists & Activists Records; an animal rights-focused record label that aims to drive change through the power of music. Bryon’s rollout was scheduled for the World Day for Farmed Animals, clearly framing the single as advocacy through art rather than a purely introspective ballad.
The lyrics on this track are incredibly powerful, with lines like “Maybe I wasn’t even listening/I was running, now everything’s changing.” and “I didn’t know what you were going through/Then somebody said, ‘It’s just the way it is.” highlighting our almost willful ignorance of animal suffering.
Bryon himself states that Tears Me Up is “about learning to truly see animals, people, ourselves, and to change when we know better.” It’s about moving from a place of benign ignorance to a moral awakening when you finally see suffering and can no longer pretend it isn’t there.
Musically, the track sits in a comfortable indie-soul pocket, and is produced to highlight the intimate vocals and lyrical messaging. Bryon runs his own production outfit, BWH Studio, and handles the mixing and engineering on the track himself. The result is a polished but not over-produced mix with tasteful use of supporting instrumentation, and an emotional rise that’s earned rather than theatrical.
Tears Me Up switches up from traditional manifesto-driven animal rights protest songs, and delivers a carefully written, warmly produced plea for compassion. It’s a quiet, accumulative track that aims to make listeners see what they’ve been turning away from. If you’re moved by music that tries to transform empathy into action, this one’s worth a focused listen.