Four years is a long time to sit on a project, but Denis Stoff hasn't exactly been idle. The Ukrainian vocalist — known to most as the former voice of Asking Alexandria — has spent the gap since Drag Me Out's last record writing through a war, sidelining a band, and quietly amassing what he says is a drawer full of demos. Now he's breaking the silence with 'Can't Keep On Running Away,' a single that trades the project's heavier instincts for something more melodic, more exposed, and unmistakably personal.

It's a song about depression, about the demons that pile up when life refuses to let up, and about the strange comfort of admitting you're not okay. It's also, notably, a solo effort: Drag Me Out is now a one-man operation, with Stoff writing every note, lyric and melody himself. We caught up with him to talk about the new track, surviving life inside a war zone, the decade since 'The Black,' and why he's convinced the best is still ahead.

'Can't Keep On Running Away' feels emotionally intense — what inspired the song, and what does it represent to you personally?

It really speaks for everything that has been building up inside over the past couple of years. This song is an ultimate release on all of this. It's an honest track and I just tried to reflect on stuff like battling with depression, sadness, my demons, any obstacles in life and stuff. We're all going through something and sometimes it might get too overwhelming. This song's vibe goes like "it's worth being sad" to me and I really just wanted to make people think about it because at the end of the day it will only make you stronger. But with this effort I'm just trying to lend a "helping hand" to whoever might need it right now.

There's a strong balance between melody and aggression in this track — how intentional was that when you were building the song?

The songwriting for this track was super chill and I didn't really want to do much overthinking on this one. It all came out naturally and the way it turned out was a work of an emotional flow rather than something I tried to control or mold to a specific sound.

How does this single reflect where Drag Me Out is creatively right now compared to your earlier releases?

This song is an early entrée to the expansion of the sound that Drag Me Out is going to unleash soon. Everything that's coming next is definitely a leap of faith to me and I'm sure a lot of people will tune in. There are "safe bets" in the upcoming album but this time I'm going super experimental with genre blending and I will be delivering a whole new pallet of vibes, soundscapes, color and tones overall. I can safely say this type of sound didn't exist before and that was the main goal behind the new album.

Your musical journey has been very public — how has that shaped your mindset going into new material today?

I'm just trying to enjoy the ride man, it really is all about staying happy. Every single time I hit the studio to record something new, I'm just thinking about the future and what's ahead – rarely looking back at what's in the past. I've got my people around me online and offline and they've got their faith in what I do. There's so much support all around me and it keeps me motivated. So with that being said, I'm still inspired and feeling like it's just the beginning of something way bigger.

Lyrically, this song touches on themes of avoidance and accountability — was that something you set out to explore from the beginning?

I just felt like this song needed that from the get go. As soon as I had the instrumental ready to go, it just poured out essentially over 15 minutes. I didn't second guess anything and I just wrote what I wrote. And it felt great to give people a song like this one. I'm sure a whole lotta people will be able to say that they can relate to it.

You're currently based in Ukraine — how has living and creating music there during such a challenging time impacted you personally and creatively?

Man, it's been HELL. This war has been truly soul tolling. Living in a war zone is super difficult and most people don't understand how emotionally exhausting it really is. Seeing all of the consequences of shell bombing and fights on the internet is not the same thing as being present in all of these moments. Ukraine is under the siege daily, different cities all across the country are being hit with missiles and suicide drones daily. And I wish everyone could tune into this more.

Too many good people lost their lives defending their country and it's extremely devastating. It's been over 4 years of war and it feels like it's still far from over. It's a great big challenge for our nation and we will keep on doing everything that's in our power to overcome the dark. Considering all of that it's been extremely hard to focus on such fun things as music and songwriting. But eventually music and the new album brought life back into me. It turned into another reason to keep on fighting and believing that the good days seem to be closer than I think.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of 'The Black,' an album you were a major part of with Asking Alexandria — looking back, how do you reflect on that chapter of your career today?

I owe it to the fans first and foremost. THEY ARE the reason why this album and this era felt special to me. THEY ARE the ones who turned it into a 1 billion stream record over this timeframe. THEY ARE the ones who decided that this album is here to stay and kept on feeding the bonfire. And I'm grateful for that. It really makes me feel good and fulfilled thinking that it still resonates with millions of people all around the world.

This release is coming out through LIFE OR DEATH — how did that connection come about, and what made it the right fit for Drag Me Out?

LIFE OR DEATH CEO Greg Long reached out to me and we connected very fast. It felt like an "artist first" collaboration so I decided to give it a shot. We've got just a one single deal with them for now, afterwards Drag Me Out is going back to being independent for a bit but may not be for long.

What do you feel Drag Me Out does differently now that sets it apart from other bands in the scene?

The urge to stand out – not blend in. Everything about the creative part of the band is aimed at absolute perfection and separation from what the majority of the scene is doing. Also this band only consists of one member now, whom is me. Starting this album, I'm writing all of the music, lyrics, melodies all by myself. No band members, no producers, no ghost writers - every note, every hit, every sound comes out of one mind and that's something that rarely happens in this game. Regards the genre, it's still an Alternative Rock/Metal band but let me just say that this next chapter is a neophyte and once it will bring something brand new, mind bending and unheard before to the table.

Does 'Can't Keep On Running Away' give us a glimpse into a larger body of work — and what can fans expect next?

Only partially. There's so much more in the bag right now, I swear. Every song on the upcoming album will deliver an extraordinary and unique experience. No molds, no rules – just great music. It's super versatile and it will hit whole lotta different musical directions. I can safely say there's something for everyone on this record. Whoever will listen to it will definitely connect with it and won't be leaving empty handed.

'Can't Keep On Running Away' is out now via LIFE OR DEATH, and whether it ultimately reads as a one-off or the first thread of the genre-bending record Stoff keeps teasing, the takeaway is the same: after four years away, he's building Drag Me Out back on his own terms — every note, every lyric, every demon his own. For an artist who's spent the last few years writing through the worst, the new single sounds less like a comeback and more like a man refusing to stay down. If his promise holds, this is only the opening chapter.