Behind Life In The Real World

Track 1 – Prove You Wrong

PYW was the first song we wrote with intentions of making an album. Interestingly enough, it ended up being the opening track. The band wanted this to be the first Wait For It song people heard because we felt the message behind it set the tone for the rest of the album. The opening line *(below) felt like a perfect way to set it off. At this time, I was really getting into The Story So Far, which, in retrospect, is probably why the finished product came out sounding a little angrier than we originally anticipated. With that being said, the recording process was super fun because of how much energy the song had. In the studio, (A.K.A. Aaron’s house) I remember hearing back a vocal take in the bridge when the song takes a turn for the more intense and thinking to myself something along the lines of “Holy crap. Maybe we can really pull this off.”

Favorite Lyric

Track 2 – Shoreline

“Shoreline” has always had this sun-soaked, easy-to-listen-to quality that we love, but when Aaron sent me the final mix (after a lot of scrapping and restarting), I realized this song was a punch in the gut at times, too. When writing it, I thought back to all the nights I spent alone driving around Morgantown to Jimmy Eat World’s Futures album filling the air. My main goal for this song was to show optimism in solitude. At the end of the day, we can find comfort knowing that whoever is on our minds may be looking at the moon from wherever they are, too, or even listening to the same song at that very moment. I feel like this is such a summer song. This is the type of song I’d kill to listen to while driving down some coastal highway. I’d put this on a playlist right after Jack’s Mannequin’s “Holiday from Real” and Phantom Planet’s “California.” That’s right. I listen to theme song of the O.C. Judge me.

Favorite Lyric

Track 3 – Fire Away

This is a song dedicated to all of those fellow introverts who bottle everything in until they explode. Here’s to the moment where you finally stop biting your tongue and come undone. Truthfully, it was cathartic to get these words on paper. “Fire Away” was the last song we finished before the release, but it ended up being a collective favorite of the band. It’s groovy and a crap ton of fun to play live. Oh, and Josh, if you’re reading this, kudos for making the chorus pop with that chord change when I say “Settle down when I know-OH.” You’re okay at music. Oh yeah, and this may or may not be Josh’s dad’s ringtone. Just saying.

Favorite Lyric

Track 4 – Low

This is hands down one of our most honest songs. I penned these lyrics late one winter night dreaming about singing on a stage. If you have a dream, you have to protect it. There are going to be nights when you get down on yourself, and that’s okay, because they only motivated you to keep swinging. This is the story of a late one-on-one with God while the world was sleeping. “Low” was a blast to record, and I was blown away with what Aaron did with it sonically. I really dig the guitar solo, too.

Favorite Lyric

Track 5 – Tired Talk

The term “Tired Talk” is a phrase I thought of to describe that time late at night when everyone gets incredibly honest and conversations get real. In this song, the plotline is pretty easy to digest. Essentially, this is the story of an inevitable end. We can try to beat around the bush with fancy words or use the typical, overused lines, but sometimes we can’t stop the train from derailing. Also, don’t overlook our not-so-subtle How I Met Your Mother references in the second verse. The lyrics (below) directly mention an episode title from the first season, and if you listen closely, you can hear the lead guitar playing the melody from the theme song. Yes, we are that geeky. As if the name of our band wasn’t enough, right? Anyway, recording TT was a sight to see because after every part I’d sing, I’d turn around and scream at Aaron, “DUDE, WHY DID WE MAKE THIS SONG SO HIGH?” Then he’d respond, “WELL YOU WROTE THESE MELODIES SO IT’S YOUR OWN FAULT.” We have played this song live a few times, but now I refuse to do it every time we have to construct a new set list for a show.

Favorite Lyric

Track 6 – Conversations

This song was one-hundred percent spur of the moment. Hit the Lights came out with their Summer Bones album in April of last year, and Aaron and I loved it. The eighth track is a 1 minute- 29- second energy explosion called “Keep Your Head,” and it was one of our favorites from the record. One day, he had it playing when I went over to his place to work on stuff, and when it finished, we immediately decided to write our own super short song that goes pedal to the metal for maybe a minute or so. Aaron then had the idea to connect it to “Good Enough,” which we had already recorded, so when writing, I played the two off each other lyrically. A couple days later, I sang the melodies to Aaron and he tracked this intense opening riff. After about twenty minutes, when we finished a basic outline for the song, I recorded vocals while Aaron once again laughed at how ridiculously stupid I was for making for making it so high– “Good luck ever singing that live, man.” (Are you detecting a pattern of me being overly ambitious?) It’s pretty obvious. Also, what’s a pop-punk record without gang vocals? COME ON!

Favorite Lyric