‘I thought I’d finish the album then die’: how Angelo De Augustine came back from a medical nightmare
Why it matters: Angelo De Augustine's medical ordeal profoundly shaped his 2023 album *Toil and Trouble* and his latest work, *Angel in Plainclothes*.
- Angelo De Augustine experienced a sudden collapse on Halloween 2022, leading to days of tests, but doctors were unable to provide a concrete diagnosis, only advising him to return if he went completely deaf or blind.
- De Augustine pushed through his severe illness to finish his album Toil and Trouble, believing he might not survive, and later had to relearn basic functions like walking, talking, hearing, playing, and singing.
- His song "Time" from the 2019 album Tomb, featuring Sufjan Stevens, gained significant popularity with over 31 million streams after being used in Zach Braff’s movie A Good Person, but De Augustine was too ill to capitalize on its success.
- The new album, Angel in Plainclothes, is filled with "beautifully otherworldly reflections on life’s transience," with songs like "Spirit of the Unknown" and the lead single "Mirror Mirror" directly inspired by his recovery and feelings of detachment.
Singer-songwriter Angelo De Augustine endured a terrifying medical collapse in late 2022, leaving him partially incapacitated and without a clear diagnosis, yet he channeled his near-death experience into completing his album Toil and Trouble and later, Angel in Plainclothes, which reflects on life's fragility and his arduous recovery.
