When Too Close To Touch singer Keaton Pierce tragically lost his three year old sister, his priority was to use music to express his pain

Some of the best art comes from periods of pain. Any songwriter could tell you stories of how therapeutic music can be in coming to terms with distressing life events.

When Too Close To Touch singer Keaton Pierce tragically lost his three year old sister, his priority was to use music to express his pain.

“Writing and recording these songs, my main focus first and foremost was to vent just for my own sake, to get it all out,” says Pierce. “But at the same time I wanted to make everything as gritty and real as possible, because I know that there are other people who are affected by similar experiences and can probably relate.”

Together with guitarists Mason Marble and Thomas Kidd, bassist Travis Moore and drummer Kenneth Downey, the Kentucky band will be performing at the O2 Academy Islington on May 31 following the release of their second album, Haven’t Been Myself.

“When we were making the first record, there was an amazing amount of emotional release that helped me get through the things I was dealing with at the time,” says Pierce. “With the new record I was in a really dark place and wanted to make it as cathartic as possible.”

Too Close To Touch offer what Pierce refers to as “an exploration of grief, and the process of trying to get back to the person you used to be after going through something that changes you forever.”

Pierce is no stranger to pouring his heart into his music. One of the songs in the band’s first album, Nerve Endings, explores his parents’ breakup. He says that they don’t conform to a specific genre, but put their focus on writing music that makes them feel something.

“When people go through extremely intense experiences they look to music to help them escape, so it’s always been a mission of ours to put out the kind of music that might help in that way,” he says. “This album was a pretty tough one to write, but we all gave it everything we have and didn’t hold back, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Too Close To Touch play O2 Academy Islington on May 31.