rockyourlyricsOttawa, up-and-comers from Cleveland, OH, are about to release their first single – “Strangers” – out on June 22nd. More details in the interview below.
How do you usually write the lyrics of your songs?
It’s different for every song. Sometimes, I’ll have a title I love that’s just waiting on a song. Typically, there will be a lingering phrase or line that I can’t get out of my head that will lend its self to concept. [Our upcoming single] ‘Strangers’ was called ‘Future Now’ until like two weeks ago; we also have another song called ‘Friends’, and we thought having a song called ‘Friends’ and then a song called ‘Strangers’ would be clever and welcoming.
In your opinion, what is the most important thing in songwriting?
Melody, 100% everything in a song is a melody in one form or another; guitars, drums, keyboards- they’re all melodies if you’re doing a good enough job of songwriting.
Are you ever scared of revealing aspects of your personal life/experience to strangers through your music?
Not at all, that’s kind of the point of it all- where the connection is made. At the end of the day, we’re all the same. Being vulnerable and real is the only true way to connect and get to know someone; its walls down from day 1.
What is the best lyric that you ever wrote (the most meaningful for you)?
The best and the most meaningful are probably two different answers, from a writing perspective. In one of the upcoming new singles, ‘Wrong’, the main line of the chorus is, “I’ve been wrong, you were right, but I just can’t sleep alone tonight.” This line is the most meaningful and the simplest, as well. We’ve all been there…’Listen, I fucked up, but please just lay down with me…I’ll scratch your back,’ lol.
What inspired your new single “Strangers”?
I was strumming the guitar a bit and just sang the first line, “whisper to me, tell me something that I’m not,” and I just loved it. The rest happened super-fast- I brought it to the guys and we finished it in like 30min. Tim wrote one of my favorite riffs ever, it fit perfectly into the intro and we knew it was special quickly. Lyrically, I was thinking about situations where things just move too fast, you’ve been dating a month and you’re dropping ‘L bombs’.
And “Fever”?
Fever is pretty literal. I had been obsessing about the main chorus line [“you’re a fever that breaks”] for like a year before the song happened. An ex moved to Las Vegas at the right time, and the lyrics just happened.
What was the best moment of your career? And the most difficult one?
The best thus far: opening for the Wombats, working with Matt Goldman, and Mark Needham and Tim Palmer agreeing to mix songs for us.
The most difficult has been finding the right guys to put up with me and agree to be in the band, lol.
What are your plans for 2018?
Keep chasing the dream!
To conclude the interview a short Q/A session, please answer the first thing that comes to your mind:
Define in one word your sound
Ambitious
The best show you ever played
The Wombats gig
The one thing that you must have in your backstage
Tea (boring, I know)
The soundtrack of your childhood
Hmmm, Boys to Men II
Your favorite song lyrically speaking but not written by you
“Between Me and You” by Brandon Flowers. This is one of the best songs ever. Period. Like, literally a fact and non-debatable.
The last question is “unusual”- we want to know your best relationship advice!
Overanalyze every word and action. Joking. Go for a walk, you aren’t going to win.
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