It’s probable to say that when COVID-19 is done, it’s the youngsters who will be hit hardest and longest in the U.K. Some will be able to get by on the Bank of Mum and Dad but many, who had been just about surviving on zero hours contracts in vulnerable industries, will now struggle to get off of the scrap heap to which they’ve been consigned. The absence of hope and increased rates of suicide and self-harm evident across young people will unlikely be reversed by a Government who have history in ultimately looking after their own.
This is not to say that we’ve not all had it hard – it’s just that when it comes to levelling up, there will be winners and losers.
Cxl Mxck is an exciting, new young voice from Cheshire, England. The 21 year old with a neat penchant for dying his hair in vibrant colour released his second single, Mushroom Treatment, at the end of last year. He also self-directed the accompanying video. Clearly, there’s a talent here very deserving of nurture and development.
Mushroom Treatment is a short song all about loneliness and sadness during COVID-19. In an energetic, electric start before a very indie singalong chorus kicks in, we hear about how some young people will turn to recreational drugs to get by in these tough times. Others are simply locked in conversation with their Doctor’s to help them access the ‘best’ treatment to overcome their depression. It’s probably easier in all of this to nip to the corner shop for a packet of fags.
Nobody is under any illusion that the economic recovery from COVID-19 will present an almighty challenge – and that there are huge swathes of society that will need mental health support going forward. But, let’s all do what we can to ensure that young people are not the ones getting left behind in the rush to build back better.
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