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Isaac Holman in 'Too Shy for Tennis' video

Slaves frontman Isaac Holman is back with new music, the start of a solo project called Baby Dave. But the singer is also opening up about some very personal details of his life and how this new material came about.

Sharing his first song called "Too Shy for Tennis," the singer admits that long before the pandemic, he had a serious mental breakdown and moved back in with his parents as he began feeling suicidal, not knowing if he could bring himself to make music again.

“I was living with my parents after a serious mental health breakdown," he recalls. "I was very unwell, I’d lost my mind and I was suicidal. Once I started feeling a bit better, I began to write. Sitting in my childhood bedroom, on my bed, these tunes started coming out of me. Then lockdown happened and amongst the madness the writing continued."

He adds: "I moved into a flat just down the road because we were all still worried about my mental state. I got a job as a gardener because I didn’t think I could do music again properly and I needed a bit of purpose. I was still writing though, I didn’t really know what for but it was just sorting my head out so I kept doing it. Then the project started coming together. I quit my job and decided to go for it."

The result is a venture far different from Holman's previous efforts, a quirky, jangly track set to a hobbly marching rhythm, co-produced by none other than Damon Albarn. It's worth noting, this isn't the first time they've collaborated, following the Gorillaz track "Momentary Bliss."

Of the track (and its humorous video), Holman says: "Dating scares the shit out of me. Physical activities when dating is a whole other story—terrifying. This is a tune about that.”

Watch the video below.